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    TRUMP DELENDUS EST (fka Chatham Harrison)Hamilton Nolan
    5/02/14 10:50am

    If you want to see the ideal Republican state, Texas is the place to do your sight-seeing. A government that serves the interests of the state's business community first and foremost, ensuring that every resource available, fiscal, human and natural, goes toward maximizing their success. The benefit of this maximized success is incredible wealth for the few CEOs and investors with the money to exploit those opportunities, while the vast majority of Texans can aspire to little more than wage slavery. It's a "meritocracy" where the poor start out behind and just keep losing ground.

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      TRUMP DELENDUS EST (fka Chatham Harrison)TRUMP DELENDUS EST (fka Chatham Harrison)
      5/02/14 10:56am

      P.S. For anyone who thinks I hate Texas as a whole: There is so much wonderful about that state (food, music, beautiful wide open spaces), and so many wonderful people, but y'all don't fucking vote, so your government is run by a bunch of braying jackasses with more money than sense.

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      ThePriceisWrongTRUMP DELENDUS EST (fka Chatham Harrison)
      5/02/14 10:59am

      Texas ranks dead last in high school graduation rate. As a former Texan, it disgusts me that people can't get their shit together to at least educate students in a state that boasts so much economic power. If he would stop giving out subsidies to private businesses, and invest that money into educating children, perhaps that statistic wouldn't be as bad, but that's never going to happen.

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    JDOwen1984Hamilton Nolan
    5/02/14 11:24am

    "The issue of states handing out public money to private companies in the form of tax breaks and other corporate welfare is an important one, because it will continue, and it will continue being an outrageously wasteful policy, because all it does is transfer (not create) jobs around the country at a massive cost to the public. "

    I think that you've overstated your point here. A few things to bear in mind. First, I'll agree that corporate tax incentives often do nothing but transfer jobs around the country, but this sort of movement isn't always wasteful. Movement facilitates momentum. Jobs moving to Texas mean people moving to Texas, which in turn means growth in a number of other sectors of the economy. Creating new clusters of economic growth do more good for the economy of the country as a whole than not. In other words, this move will do more good for the economy of Texas than it will do harm to the economy of California. It's not a zero sum game.

    Second, in some cases, these sorts of corporate tax incentives prevent jobs from going overseas. Now, I wouldn't say this is always a good thing. There are a lot of examples of the US or State governments propping up industries that probably should move overseas, but nothing is ever black and white. New Orleans has done a tremendous job attracting the film industry since Katrina - partially through tax incentives. There are now more film and television productions in New Orleans than in Los Angeles. New Orleans didn't steal these jobs from Los Angeles - they were already leaving for places like Vancouver and Eastern Europe. To my first point, the influx of film industry money has been on of the major contributors to economic growth in New Orleans over the past 5 years. It couldn't have happened without tax incentives.

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      Hamilton NolanJDOwen1984
      5/02/14 11:50am

      "In other words, this move will do more good for the economy of Texas than it will do harm to the economy of California." I don't think you made that case with what you wrote, but if you have more to say on that point I'm interested to hear it.

      To your second point on preventing jobs from going overseas: that wasn't an issue in this case, so not particularly relevant here. Stopping jobs from going overseas speaks to a lot larger economic issues of globalization. This case is more of just shuffling jobs around the US at taxpayer expense.

      Also, when you speak about jobs that would leave places anyhow, I agree, which is why states don't need to dangle corporate welfare to get businesses to move places. Most businesses are rational and will move for business reasons without any govt. handouts.

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      mojamboHamilton Nolan
      5/02/14 12:01pm

      Georgia and Louisiana have a cottage industry in giving tax breaks for films. Breaking Bad was supposed to be set in Riverside, CA and was intended to film there but financially it was much cheaper to go to New Mexico, and their tax incentives played a part in that.

      At some point someone here will figure out you are full of shit.

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    SpangarangHamilton Nolan
    5/02/14 10:56am

    To spin it a different way, he got taken for $40mm thanks to savvy negotiating from Toyota. There's no way they're going to tell anyone what their decision was until the last possible minute, all the while letting each of the states think they're going somewhere else so as to capture additional savings as the states fight to offer the biggest incentives.

    It's really a no-win for the state, though, because they really have no leverage. Had he called their bluff and they went elsewhere, then he failed to bring new business to the state. It sucks that now he's gloading about it like it's some big personal win, when really, Toyota execs are the ultimate victors.


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      BurningReburnsTheBurnsSpangarang
      5/02/14 10:59am

      I mean, it is a win for Texas, even if he did get suckered into paying more than he needed to. It's just not a net win for our country. 3,000 new jobs in a local economy is still 3,000 new jobs.

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      smokeybaileyBurningReburnsTheBurns
      5/02/14 11:15am

      But is it 3000 new jobs? Lots of people around here are planning to make the move. Build some more buildings and find more water, Plano. I guess THAT will require more jobs (albeit temporary).

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    gilbertkittensHamilton Nolan
    5/02/14 10:46am

    And I have to say, honestly, he would not be the worst possible Republican President (shudder).

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      JohnMcClanesSmirkgilbertkittens
      5/02/14 10:52am

      As someone from Texas, I can assure you, he would be. Hands down. The most toxic mix cynical, stupid, and mean-spirited.

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      TRUMP DELENDUS EST (fka Chatham Harrison)gilbertkittens
      5/02/14 10:54am

      If his "leadership" in Texas is any indication, he'd be much like Bush; a small man, unequal to his job, who relies on others to do the actual governing. In Texas, that just means a few businessmen do all the decision making. At a national level, that means the administration becomes rife with factionalism, infighting, and contradictory and ineffective policies reflecting that internal struggle. I suppose Ted Cruz could be worse?

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    CrusaderForTruthinessHamilton Nolan
    5/02/14 10:44am

    Wendy Davis for governor!

    When I moved here, it was knowing I was going to loathe our governor. But then again, I came from Florida, home of Rick "Voldemort" Scott, so I guess it's more of a lateral move.

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      A House In VirginiaCrusaderForTruthiness
      5/02/14 10:52am

      pretty sure Mary Fallin has claimed the title "Most Disgusting Governor in the US" lol

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      EnzanCrusaderForTruthiness
      5/02/14 10:55am

      Perry is a stupid you can bet on.

      Scott just kind of points at things and they die because he's standing his ground.

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    soetoroHamilton Nolan
    5/02/14 10:45am

    The unemployment rate dropped to 6.3% from 6.6% today. Looks like Obama wins yet again and conservatives and basically the whole state of Texass loses like usual.

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      ThePriceisWrongsoetoro
      5/02/14 11:01am

      Texas ranks 50th in high school graduation rates, highest in carbon emissions rates, last in voter turnout, last in number of residents insured... I could keep going, but let me know how great that unemployment statistic is since they can't seem to get anything else right.

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      soetoroThePriceisWrong
      5/02/14 11:02am

      Yeah those are all my points to, we're on the same side

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    dkmannHamilton Nolan
    5/02/14 10:51am

    Uh, Texas actually has a very high graduation rate... and a bunch of new Toyota jobs. http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/…

    If you're going to shit on Perry - that's fine. Use facts when writing about Texas, please.

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      duhasstmichdkmann
      5/02/14 10:55am

      Yeah, I was skeptical. Everything I read puts Texas towards the middle top of high school education. Also, California spends the most per capita per student and habitually ranks in the bottom quarter of success. Seems like Texas is a smart move.

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      benjaminalloverdkmann
      5/02/14 10:59am

      Agreed, in that he's using outdated stats and Texas has improved its graduation rate lately. However, the other measures of quality of life in Texas are nothing to brag about.

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    wkiernanHamilton Nolan
    5/02/14 11:07am

    More of a moron than you thought maybe. I had this fucker pegged the first time I saw him open his mouth and the stupid flowed out.

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      JohnMcClanesSmirkHamilton Nolan
      5/02/14 10:49am

      This is ironic, because his nickname at the Iron Bear "race to the bottom".

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        The Ghost of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ AKA BabyStepsJohnMcClanesSmirk
        5/02/14 10:59am

        Is the Iron Bear some sort of gay bar? If so then your comment would make sense to me. Ok, it would make more sense to me.

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        JohnMcClanesSmirkThe Ghost of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ AKA BabySteps
        5/02/14 11:08am

        Yes. Best jokes are the ones I have to explain

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      MammutHamilton Nolan
      5/02/14 10:42am

      My favorite thing about Rick Perry is his new glasses. It's like his PR team was like, "Everyone realizes how dumb he is . . . he should wear glasses! Only smart people wear glasses!"

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        homomanMammut
        5/02/14 10:44am

        I swear you're right on with that one.

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        A House In VirginiaMammut
        5/02/14 10:52am

        it's insulting to those of us smarties with poor eyesight...

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