Calif. Rep. Gary Miller: Combine U.S. Expertise, Unemployed Labor to Work With Haitians to Rebuild

Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.), at a House of Representatives Subcommittee hearing today on Haiti, repeatedly raised the point that "American labor and American expertise" should be involved, alongside Haitians, in rebuilding that nation. He said that "American resources can be leveraged" in ways to help in the reconstruction, now estimated at $14 billion. He described the scale of the devastation in terms of 40 percent of the Haitian government staff being killed; 28 percent of the ministry buildings destroyed, and other losses.

Clearing the rubble alone is a huge task, given that the volume of debris would occupy the entire Capitol Mall, to a height of 727 feet.

Miller stressed that there is no equipment for the task in Haiti. The largest contractor there has only 100 excavators, and in the whole nation, there are probably only 150 extant. Moreover, they are mostly second-hand, and worn-down. Most of them would not be allowed license for use in the United States, because they are faulty and unsafe.

"We have unemployed," he said. "We have to help Haiti...but we have to reconstruct immediately...[We can] provide expertise, resources and talents...give oversight...there is a tremendous labor force available." He spoke of the fact that, if there is American expertize and Haitian labor, plus long-term resources, then we should be building bridges and sewer systems.

Urgency was also expressed in the remarks of Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri), not a member of the Subcommittee, but who came to participate. He opened his remarks by saying that the several ministers at his church are stressing that "the situation is not moving as it should...especially with the rainy season." He asked, "What should we do differently for infrastructure, involving Haiti?" Should there be new groups, e.g., Habitat for Humanity? New building codes for construction?

These impulses are exactly what are involved in the plan called for by Lyndon LaRouche, for arranging the fastest evacuation possible for those quake victims now facing floods and disease, and at the same time, organizing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-style infrastructure construction programs, involving U.S. and Haitian workers.

But the Miller and Clay questions were sidestepped by the five panelists at the hearing, which was convened by the Subcommittee for International Monetary Policy and Trade, of the House Financial Services Committee. The hearing Chairman, Gregory W. Meeks (N.Y.), said that Miller helped plan the session, but the panelists were all from the domain of globalization, under which Haiti had been looted to the point of desperation before the earthquake. For example, Ms. Nancy Birdsall, formerly of the World Bank, called for channeling all relief funding through the IMF or a similar agency; Francis J. Skrobiszewski, who had contracted with the George H.W. Bush Administration to consult on East European privatization, spoke on applying (looting) models used in Hungary, Bulgaria and Poland, for Haiti, etc.

The hearing is the second in a series. In last week's, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) led the effort for a resolution, which passed the House, for debt forgiveness for Haiti. Waters was in Haiti two weeks ago, and speaks of a Marshall Plan approach. But the next hearing will be on the opposite perspective: micro-finance.