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It has plied the waters of the Mississippi River since 1926, and is the oldest steamboat that still operates on the river (according to my friend Arthur LaSalle with the historic Springfield Plantation). The Delta Queen was equipped with the most elaborate workmanship seen in steamboats when built, with teakwood, red mahogany and ironwood, in addition to stained-glass windows and an elaborate chandelier in the grand staircase, with a modern hull of steel. The bell you can hear onboard came from an 1880's steamboat that Mark Twain traveled on as he was formulating his book "Life on the Mississippi."

The Delta Queen steamboat, owned by the Majestic America Line has a loyal following, with many making return trips on the cruises, which can range from $1,500 to $6,200 per person, depending on the length of cruise and cabin. Her record is stellar, and has been given historic designations by the Department of the Interior, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a National Historic Landmark, and a member of the National Maritime Hall of Fame.

There is much more to this story than the Congressional committee leaders would have you believe. Let's look at facts.
The Delta Queen is equipped with the latest in modern fire monitoring devices and a powerful sprinkler system, and includes 3 onboard crew dedicated to maintaining on a 24 hour basis. In the rare case of a fire that would require passengers to depart, the steamboat could reach the shore in a matter of a few minutes. The steamboat has had an 82 year spotless record of safety on the river.
Yet, a Democratic Representative James Oberstar of Minnesota, has been blocking a bill that would exempt the Delta Queen from the Safety at Sea Act, which has also prevented the full House of Representative from voting on the measure at all. The more likely reasoning is politics, and the support he has received over the years from the Seafarers International Union. As reported by the New York Times, according to Majestic America Line officials, "the real issue is opposition from the Seafarers International Union, which represented most of the steamboat’s employees until last year. At that time, Majestic bought the Delta Queen and two other riverboats for $40 million and forced the union off the boats. Joseph McCarthy, general counsel for Ambassadors International, said the company had offered to let the union back on the Delta Queen in return for the union’s support for the exemption, but the union would not budge unless it was welcomed back onto all seven of Majestic’s boats. Mr. McCarthy also said the union told the company that it could help change Mr. Oberstar’s position, as well as opposition from Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii and chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee."

So the Delta Queen extension has not even been allowed to go before Congress for a vote! However, Congress did recently exempt a foreign owned cruise line (using the Jones Act, passed in 1886 which protects American maritime jobs). Due to that exemption, from 900 - 1,200 foreign workers will be employed by that cruise line in 2008. Compare to the Delta Queen, if nothing is done more than 120 American jobs will be lost in addition to the loss of tourism to the ports it visits.
Read more about the Delta Queen here.

If "safety" is a concern by our oh-so-thoughtful two Congressional leaders, then why stop with a venerable steamboat? Why not close our National Parks down? Do you know how many people have died in our National Parks due to various reasons over the years?? Shouldn't we close them for our own "safety"?

The Delta Queen is a valuable part of our nation's heritage, our historic identity, and should be preserved to be continued to operate. In addition, the steamboat provides 120 jobs to American workers, in addition to the additional tourism brought to Mississippi River ports it stops in.
If nothing is done, November 2008 will be her final voyage.
In 1970, a letter writing campaign with support of Johnny Cash was able to convince Congress to extend the exemption of the Delta Queen from the Safety at Sea Act.
I encourage you to please email your Congressional representatives and state leaders to voice your full support to extend the Congressional exemption for the Delta Queen.
There is still time. Read here of more ways to help via contacting talk radio and Presidential candidates.

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