HI54UNI wrote:kalm wrote:
So a speech writer for GWB is on the side of corporate welfare?
I didn’t know your economic principles included government picking winners and losers at the expense of the tax payers. You must be all for cities footing the bill for new stadiums too.
So much for limited government. How libertarian of you.
Since your article is a year old, here’s an update:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washin ... utType=amp
Turns out the economic development numbers might not have ended being as advertised.

Amazon did move into NYC but outside of AOC's district and is only bringing 1,500 jobs instead of 25,000 jobs.
And the article about corporate welfare you posted is irrelevant to the discussion about AOC's stupidty. Yes AOC or anybody else can argue that Amazon didn't need the incentives or that they don't make a major difference in the corporate decision making. I'm all for a nationwide ban on incentives like this because if one city/county/state does it everybody has to do it to compete. But as noted earlier that's not what she was saying. She wanted to spend the $3 billion on other things without understanding that if there is no Amazon the $3 billion doesn't exist to spend.

The 25,000 jobs number was no guarantee, spread out over decades, and debatable. Same with the ED numbers not to mention the unintended consequences that go along with it. It’s easy to pencil out tax revenue numbers without considering the impact of infrastructure, government support services, schools, housing etc.
Amazon just completed a DC 2 miles from our old house and my business on a newly formed PDA. It’s bringing in 1800 jobs and they get all sorts of tax incentives reduced utilities rates etc. The local Politicians from both sides of the aisle now require rotator cuff surgery from all the self congratulatory back patting.
Meanwhile, small businesses just outside the PDA across the street are paying 50% higher utilities rates, in an essence, further subsidizing Amazon.
There’s also a severe shortage of multi-family housing in the region thanks to the Growth Managememt Act. Home builders continue to churn out $350,000 single dwelling houses to fit the current neighborhood but none of those $15/hour Amazon jobs will pay for that...at least unless the banks loosen lending standards again. (And we all know where that leads:ohno: ) Then, one of the few apartment complexes approved through zoning is being fought tooth and nail by the existing residents to hold on to gentrification. Who wants the hoi poloi and their brood living across the street, causing a ruckus? But hey, if it goes through, we can build them a playground or two to keep the little urchins off the street but that requires raising property taxes because the county is broke.
And what about new schools? Well here comes another levy. Cheney SD is already busting at the seams so we’ll need to raise another $50 million to support a new high school, middle school, and grade school.
All the old farts without kids who actually turn out to vote will raise 60 kinds of hell....
Welcome to the machine...