Pack It Up and Tear It Down

In his epic song “Stay,” Jackson Browne muses about the end of show:

“Now the seats are all empty

Let the roadies take the stage

Pack it up and tear it down”

Who knew that Jackson’s lyrics could aptly describe what will happen with the London Olympic Stadium at the end of the 2012 games.  The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about how the stadium’s 80,000 capacity will be reduced to 25,000 after the games with the removal of a tier of stadium seating.  Make sure to check out the link in the article to the cool interactive graphic that explains it all.

Wall Street Journal Takes On PLA’s

Hurrah to the Wall Street Journal Opinion page today for taking on Project Labor Agreements.  The Journal’s opinion piece is by far the highest profile criticism of wasteful project labor agreements.  As the editors note, the tide of public opinion is turning squarely against project labor agreements even in those areas that are sympathetic to organized labor.

“As Andy Conlin of Associated Business and Contractors notes, wherever PLAs are subject to popular referendum, they’re rejected.”

The Journal calls project labor agreements

“a form of political bid-rigging that robs taxpayers even in good economic times.”

and calls for them to be outlawed.

What the article implies, but does not state, is that project labor agreements run contrary to the fundamental America values of free enterprises  and reward which is based on merit, not class, rank, or, in the case of PLA’s, political connections.  It is these values that explain why voters of all political persuasion find project labor agreements so distasteful.