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http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/20532-put-the-united-back-in-the-united-states-of-america
"Last month, the Washington State legislature agreed to give airplane manufacturer Boeing a staggering $8.7 billion in tax breaks, in an attempt to keep that company from relocating elsewhere, and taking thousands of jobs away from the Evergreen State.
Once those tax breaks were approved, Boeing turned around and told members of its machinists' union to sign a new contract, which meant giving up their hard-earned pensions for a risky 401K plan.
The union overwhelming said "no" to Boeing's plan, and now the airplane giant is threatening to move out of Washington State, and is looking for potential suitors elsewhere in the U.S...
...When states offer up billion-dollar tax breaks and incentive packages to giant transnational corporations, you and I are left footing the bill.
That's billions of dollars that's not being spent on essential government programs and services, like education, transportation, and healthcare.
And the Boeing "megadeals" that Washington State and Missouri have offered up are not the exception; they're the norm.
Back in 2007, New York gave $5.6 billion in taxpayer funds to Alcoa, the giant aluminum corporation.
In 2004, New Mexico handed out $2 billion in corporate tax breaks and subsidies to software giant Intel.
Just last year, Oregon lawmakers forked over just over $2 billion to Nike, to keep or create just 500 jobs in that state.
All across America, states are handing over billions and billions in taxpayer funds, to giant corporations to try to attract new business or keep existing business...
...Fortunately, there's a way to put an end to all of this corporate welfare.
...While the federal government arguably does have the power to stop states from luring corporations with billion-dollar tax breaks under the interstate commerce clause, a less draconian, and perhaps more effective way to achieve the same goal is by threatening to block federal highway funds for those states, an idea championed by Senator Bernie Sanders.
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Megadeals:
The Largest Economic Development
Subsidy Packages Ever Awarded
by State and Local Governments
in the United States
http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/megadeals_report.pdf
Shifting jobs from one state to another through the use of tax breaks and other incentives does nothing to improve the overall US economy; in fact, moves like this only further exacerbate the problem.
"Last month, the Washington State legislature agreed to give airplane manufacturer Boeing a staggering $8.7 billion in tax breaks, in an attempt to keep that company from relocating elsewhere, and taking thousands of jobs away from the Evergreen State.
Once those tax breaks were approved, Boeing turned around and told members of its machinists' union to sign a new contract, which meant giving up their hard-earned pensions for a risky 401K plan.
The union overwhelming said "no" to Boeing's plan, and now the airplane giant is threatening to move out of Washington State, and is looking for potential suitors elsewhere in the U.S...
...When states offer up billion-dollar tax breaks and incentive packages to giant transnational corporations, you and I are left footing the bill.
That's billions of dollars that's not being spent on essential government programs and services, like education, transportation, and healthcare.
And the Boeing "megadeals" that Washington State and Missouri have offered up are not the exception; they're the norm.
Back in 2007, New York gave $5.6 billion in taxpayer funds to Alcoa, the giant aluminum corporation.
In 2004, New Mexico handed out $2 billion in corporate tax breaks and subsidies to software giant Intel.
Just last year, Oregon lawmakers forked over just over $2 billion to Nike, to keep or create just 500 jobs in that state.
All across America, states are handing over billions and billions in taxpayer funds, to giant corporations to try to attract new business or keep existing business...
...Fortunately, there's a way to put an end to all of this corporate welfare.
...While the federal government arguably does have the power to stop states from luring corporations with billion-dollar tax breaks under the interstate commerce clause, a less draconian, and perhaps more effective way to achieve the same goal is by threatening to block federal highway funds for those states, an idea championed by Senator Bernie Sanders.
---------------------
Megadeals:
The Largest Economic Development
Subsidy Packages Ever Awarded
by State and Local Governments
in the United States
http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/megadeals_report.pdf
Shifting jobs from one state to another through the use of tax breaks and other incentives does nothing to improve the overall US economy; in fact, moves like this only further exacerbate the problem.
