Controversies Ahead for Reagan as Davis Bacon Debate Heats Up
The Reagan administration rewrites Davis Bacon rules to favor the construction industry while still upholding a prevailing wage. It seeks to avert Republican moves to repeal the act, banking political flexibility with labor. Governors dread bloc grants shifting welfare and food stamps to states, while debates over civil rights testing, women's programs, and environmental rules threaten bipartisan cooperation. The path to a balanced 1984 budget remains fraught, with Social Security and welfare cuts on the table amid looming fiscal pressure and social issue battles.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tom Wicker
New York Times
Reagan
Congress
Davis-Bacon
Senate
Regan
Washington Post
National Conference of
Samindberation
Bush
Watt
California
White House
Ublican
Violence at Kerr-McGee site ends in Galatia clash
A two hour protest at Kerr-McGee Coal Corp mine in Galatia ended as State Police troopers with National Guard help dispersed about 2,000 angry miners using tear gas and helicopters. No major injuries reported. officials praise police restraint. Miners claim to defend Illinois coal jobs while urging nonviolent union steps through legal channels.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Galatia
National Guard
Althou
Illinois
Colgometyen Ghee
United Mine Workers Construction
Kerr-McGee Coal Corp
Seldon Dawson
UMW
Kerr-McGee
MAPCO
Carmi
Union County
Dawson
Barel
National Labor Relations Board
State
Thompson
Washington
Setones
err-McGee
Letters on air traffic control spark debate
A reader responds to recent letters criticizing the air traffic control system. He cites 11 years service, wartime experience, and a Reagan-era firing, estimates controller salaries, notes burnout risk, and argues safety varies by weather and traffic. He contends strikes breach contracts, criticizes FAA actions, and urges public focus on systemic issues before it’s too late.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
Reagan
Chicago
Atlanta
United States
Free World
Iran
Ronald Reagan
Inconsistency in government views on health welfare policy
Martin G. Anderson of Carbondale highlights two Southern Illinoisan articles showing divergent government roles in health and resource protection. One piece questions Interior Secretary Watt’s push to expand exploitation via regulations while another notes Dr. David Kennedy’s chairing of the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Council to address pre regulation strip mine waste. This juxtaposition underscores ongoing policy conflict and social and environmental challenges.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinoisan
James Watt
State Conservation Department
David Kennedy
Carbondale
Abandoned Mine Reclamation Council
Council
Martin G. Anderson
Air controllers strike and Reagan's firm stance tested
The air controllers strike tests Reagan's resolve after he issued an ultimatum and faced misread public support. White House overestimated back-to-work rates, risking curtailed air service, industry damage, and potential safety concerns while balancing politics and leadership limits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jack W. Germond
Jules Witcover
Reagan
White House
Union
House of Representatives
Russia chooses politics over military in Poland crisis
New York Times reports Moscow will press for change in Poland through political means rather than force. Brezhnev and the Politburo hint at restraint, deferring Poland debt payments until 1986 while signaling trade and aid shifts to ease Western loan pressures. The Kremlin aims to back Solidarity with a cautious, controlled approach rather than occupation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John F. Burns
New York Times
Moscow
Soviet Union
Poland
Europe
Kremlin
Soiet
Appete
Crimea
Warsaw
Leonid I. Brezhnev
Seaton
Solidarity
Stanislaw Kania
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Socialist Community of States and Peoples
Brezhnev
Konstantin A. Chernenko
Andrei A. Gromyko
Also Mentioned on This Page
Federal Aviation Administration
Jimmy Carter
Rea
Carter
Russia
Leonid Brezhnev
Polish People’s Republic
Socialist
Polish United Workers’ Party
Central Committee
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