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6.20.2003
Bribe Them and They Will Come A disturbing trend has arisen. In it a body of politicians use the public purse as a way to bribe business to move to their state. In it businesses see each of the states as comptetitors in their bid to divert much needed local revenue from schools and city improvements. Only the big boys can play, mostly huge industries that can leverage their jobs as bait to lure in the states to put up a king's ransom in taxpayer money in bribe payments. States eager to build Boeing's 7E7 Dreamliner submit bids: Associated Press WASHINGTON: Home of Boeing's headquarters, the state offered an estimated $3.2 billion in tax breaks over 20 years, but only if the 7E7 is built there. The state also promised a $4.2 billion transportation plan Boeing backed and an overhaul of unemployment and workers' compensation programs, which would lower costs to Boeing and other businesses. Of course all of the state's politicians came out in full support of the payments to Boeing. My questions is, why wouldn't they? After all this isn't their money and they can always justify it with the jobs. A caller to the Tulsa World wondered why we didn't just call this socialism. Good question.... After all, didn't the taxpayers bail out the airlines recently? Isn't Boeing also a supplier to the military (Boeing Satellite Systems, Los Angeles, Calif., is being awarded a $12,166,200 contract... and Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office, Patuxent River, Md., is being awarded a $12,794,289 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract and that's just for June 20th! )? Now they want us to in essense pay for them to relocate and set up shop? Sounds like a good scheme to me. Taxpayer money coming in through the front door, taxpayer money coming in through the back door and taxpayer money under you. It seems its easier to buy jobs on the black market with very public shows of political gumption than it is to build a solid economic base that builds a good stable workforce. Obviously we will have a terrible time trying to compete with states with larger tax bases to draw from. It seems that once you've got business, you collect the taxes to bribe more businesses. My take is that this creates a race to bottom mentality where rich states are constantly spending themselves poor to attract new business while poor states watch their tax base drain away as good paying jobs leave for greener (pun intended) pastures. I lived in Dallas for a couple years, they fall into the first category, essentially a city bristling with rich people living on tax money while the citizens and city councils find more ways to cut services and schools. Tulsa falls into the second category where we watch as our tax base erodes while citizens and councils find ways to cut services and schools. In a twist of irony, one of the conditions for consideration by Boeing? ....available land as well as a pool of qualified workers and quality public schools. Oh boy... | |
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