Wisconsin: Walker's got a new scheme - homeowners can pay to power factories.

[Scuba]

http://www.jsonline.com/business/122813603.html

<snip>

A bill to provide special discounts for manufacturers on their power rates is raising questions about whether small businesses and homeowners would have to pay more so that certain factories can pay less.

The bill would expand a pilot program to offer a discount of up to $5 million over five years to Mercury Marine, the final piece of a more than $120 million state-and-local financing package that helped the engine maker decide not to move to Oklahoma.

"When Wisconsin competes with other states for jobs, the fight is not whether those jobs will be created, but rather where those jobs will be located," said Scott Smith, Alliant director of regulatory affairs.

"When the discount is used for job retention, we have determined that a typical discount will help our existing customers avoid the larger negative rate impacts that would occur if the customer left Wisconsin," Smith said.

<end snip>


Looks like more legalized extortion to me. Now grandma can foot the electric bill for large factories so their international owners can reap higher profits. Dare to fight back and it'll cost you your jobs.


Please do whatever you can to help with the recall of Republicans in Wisconsin, and elsewhere.

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. My town "lets" us pay higher water prices for a company that closed!

We got higher water bill rates to "make up" for the income that was lost when a company fled the county.

And I was told I was the only person who had called to complain about having to subsidize a non-existent business.

[postulater]

2. I'm happy to subsidize that company that chooses to stay here if

they agree to give stock to the employees proportional to the profit they share with their out of state stockholders.

If states want large corporations to locate in their state then there needs to be a trade-off that ties the corporation incrementally more over time to the state.

It shouldn't be as easy for the corporation to move as just saying "Oh, we found cheaper labor somewhere else. Bye."

[HelenWheels]

5. They don't need to be subsidized

Mercury Marine (MM) closed up shop for a while and when they reopened they dropped the wages to $10/hour. That's only $.50/hour more than my granddaughter makes for an office job she just started. And they used to pay good wages.I guess they could threaten to move to a southern state if they want to lower the wages even more.

Good idea about the stock but workers need money in their pockets. Instead of subsidizing, all businesses should have to pay, and pay good, when they pick up and move to another area. They are black-mailing the American public.

[LiberalFighter]

3. The last I knew... companies already receive subsidies from electric companies

in the form of lower utility rates than homeowners. Why the hell does the government need to subsidize that?

And I'm wondering if the logic is right about there being an additional energy cost to homeowners if a major company moves out. Wouldn't it really mean that the consumers would be paying less because they are not subsidizing that company anymore?

[QC]

4. Rick Scott wants to do the same thing here in Florida.

Of course, we know all that it is purely coincidental for all these wingnuts governors and legislatures to be proposing exactly the same legislation all over the country.