By: ItIsMeAgain on 7/29/08
Wonder if Akron would trade for a Bible Park with much higher employment numbers? Of course, those numbers are all made up, but we don't have to tell them that.

By: Jimbo on 7/29/08
Realistically how many jobs would this have actually created for Rutherford County? I would venture to say very few, most of those jobs would have been filled by those transferring from Akron to here, so other than tax benefits on the homes they would buy here, what benefit would it have made for Rutherford County, zero.

By: KAjunRaider on 7/29/08
"what benefit would it have made for Rutherford County, zero"

Say, what? What an ignorant comment. You have got to be kidding.

Maybe we can get us another of one of dem dar Wal-Marts.

Puhlease.

By: Jimbo on 7/29/08
Not an ignorant statement at all, since most of the jobs would have went to those already working in Akron and transferring here, it would have created very few new jobs, therefore a net effect of zero, unless you wish to count the money that they county would have lost in tax abatements and such, then the net effect would have been a negative number. Now lets go after something that is going to actually create NEW jobs, not something that is going to bring people here and create NO new jobs.

By: lightchick on 7/30/08
Maybe Bridgestone wouldn't have provided a lot of new jobs, but it would have provided increased business for companies in the area.

By: Gene_O on 7/30/08
Jimbo, Jimbo, Jimbo!

You may recall when Nissan moved from California only half of the 1,000 people came, right? Same thing would happen here.

1) New jobs to fill those who didn't move.
2) Well paid transplants buy homes and shop here.
3) Both of the above raise the median salary for the area.
4) Business travel fill hotels and restaurants.

This is a huge loss. But with people like Jimbo who can't see the difference in a silly Bible Park and a global headquarters, perhaps M'boro simply doesn't have a high enough IQ to play in this poker game.

Williamson County has won. Now we need to hold off Lebanon and Shelbyville - once sleepy little towns that will overtake us because we're too dumb to care.

Our Chamber wasted valuable resources courting that con man's Bible Park. End of Story.

By: Jimbo on 7/30/08
GENE O GENE O GENE O. Truly amazing that you people always putting words in other's mouths. Do you guys have training sessions on that at your right wing training camps?
All of the above come with any body that transplants here for any reason. I wish I had gotten tax abatements on my home when we moved here, but alas I did not.
As far as how many would have moved here, you really have no earthly idea, it could have been half or it could have been all of the jobs being filled by those moving here but regardless, it would have cost the rest of us a lot in tax dollars to get this thing to move here and now all that time has been wasted, as it was on the Bible Park, trying to get someone to move here with no economic benefit guaranteed.
Also, this was no GLOBAL headquarters, it was a tech center, the GLOBAL headquarters would have still been somewhere else and it made economic sense for the company to keep it in Akron for sure and now that city is out all the tax dollars that will have to be made up by the real taxpayers in that city who will not benefit from the headquarters being there but will still have to pay for the bribe money given to Bridgestone.
I wish they had moved here, but not at the expense of everyone else having to pay for their tax abatements.
Also, please point out where I even mentioned the Bible Park one way or the other doofus.

By: Gene_O on 7/30/08
I'm a Democrat, Einstein. By the way, Tech Centers at companies like Bridgestone are global, very large and high paying. If you knew anything about the industry, you'd know that.

By the way, when you finish your childish rant you are encouraged to name the last large employer anywhere in the US that built their facility without significant tax abatements and incentives. We're waiting. I'm guessing 1980s.

It's amazing how shrill people get when they sound like fools in public. Do us all a favor and stick to subjects you know anything about.

By: Jimbo on 7/30/08
Childish rant, that would be more descriptive of your post, not mine. I don't have to know anything about the industry to know that a tech center is not a global headquarters building as you stated. It simply is false Einstein to say that. I also don't care to name nor do I give a rat's bottom when the last time it was that a company built something without tax abatements, theft is still theft, welfare is still welfare, and bribes are still bribes, no matter what cute little moniker you give it now or in the 80s.
Now take your own advise and stick to subjects you know anything about.
This "global headquarters" would have provide zero and possibly negative economic benefit to the community as would the Bible Park, after subtracting the corporate welfare paid out to attract them here.

By: ItIsMeAgain on 7/30/08
How can anyone believe that several hundred new jobs, each paying 60+ thousand a year would not have been a boon to our economy? What difference if they were people hired here or transfers? That money would have been earned here and spent here. Those people would have bought homes here. There is no tax abatement for the home buyers, just the company. Gene O, you are 100% correct. Jimbo, you are 85% something other than correct.

By: Jimbo on 7/30/08
The object of tax abatements is to get new jobs into an area for the people who will be paying the bills, not new people moving in, so if this thing would have transferred all its people here and hired no new ones, it would have been a negative economic benefit for the community,tax money out, no new jobs in, negative economic benefit. Now if all the jobs were new jobs and they new hires already lived here, which was not going to be the case in this instance, then yes it would have had a positive economic benefit to the community. Sorry you are one hundred percent something other than correct on this one Its.
Your way of thinking says it is all right for my taxes to go up so these people can be brought here to work, something not right there for even you.

By: Gene_O on 7/30/08
Jimbo, your last post is TOTAL nonsense. What professional expertise are you attempting to bring to this ridiculous argument? Trash collecting?

Economic growth is economic growth. Period.

When good jobs are created in a region nobody at the Chamber or IDB gets out a calculator and says, "Okay, we need to give this company more money because they've promised to hire locally." That's absolute nonsense! And you sound so confident of your glib notions somebody might actually believe you.

Tell you what... you tell us what your site selection/economic development resume is and we'll just sit back and swoon with admiration! LOL

Until then, how about checking a book out of the library or talking to somebody on the IDB so you can start learning what really goes on before you embarass yourself any more, okay?

By: Jimbo on 7/30/08
Gene O, just another childish rant from you I see. You are not worthy of any more responses. You have shown you are both morally and ethically challenged and that you support the government giving away our money. You have also shown you are mathematically challenged as well but if you wish to have your taxes increase so some big corporation can reap a windfall, so be it, but I will fight that kind of government give away program till the day I die. BTW I have yet to see you give your economic development resume yet, oh that is right, you don't have one either. One does not need a resume to see that paying more money to a corporation than a job will bring in does not make economic sense. One does not need a resume to see that giving money to a corporation in the form of a bribe to bring those jobs in is both morally and ethically wrong.
And actually I have seen that done before, where a state or a local government says you only get this tax abatement, this incentive, this money if you promise to hire a high percentage, and that percentage is written as a figure, for your office, your factory, your whatever, so it is done regardless of your ignorance.

By: Gene_O on 7/30/08
Jimbo, I'm guessing you're not a writer. or a rocket scientist either.

It hurts me so much that you won't be my friend and mentor anymore.

I guess I'll just have to find a way to soldier on without your genius lighting my path.

I still can't figure out how a man who blathers on about "right wing training camps" has such a Libertarian outlook on government giveaways.

Is there a new party out there for MENSA members like you? LOL

By: titansone on 7/30/08
Great rant, but here's a little perspective. The tax code in Tennessee is manipulated on a yearly basis so that business can be either retained in this state or attracted to it. This view is shared among Democrats and Republicans alike. The reason for this is quite simple: tons of other states are competing for the same thing.

Now you could argue that the "giveaways" are misplaced and inappropriate, but to do so would mean you would no longer compete for the Nissans and the VWs of the world. Ohio "gave away" plenty for Bridgestone and Alabama tried to do the same for VW. Plenty of wallets are open, so it's kind of like the multi-billion dollar company gets to pick their prom date from the likes of Angelina Jolie, Fergie, or Jessica Simpson.

So it would seem that most states, local governments, and probably every chamber of commerce would want to see business enhanced in their back yard. This is reality - the average citizen liking this or not really does not matter much.

Clearly, the tax revenue is lost - no question about it - but the trade-off with permanent corporate presence, jobs, and potential for support industries springing up makes our business community and government light up like a 5-year old on Christmas morning.

My opinion: corporate HQs are better than bible parks or jobs at yet another strip mall or fast food joint. So keep slugging!

By: bota on 7/31/08
I heard a report saying that the State of Ohio put up $18 million in tax breaks to keep 1000 jobs in Akron.

By: Alaskadave on 8/1/08
Jimbo,

What Planet did you beam yourself from? Go back to the Liberal shores of California and leave us "Normal" folk alone. Enough of your silly logic............

By: YoYo on 8/2/08
As an employee at the Tech Center in Akron these are my thoughts.

Murfreesboro was just a Pawn to get a better deal in Akron. It just wouldnt have made sense for us to move there. The research, tire test, and other centers are still in akron. If we would have moved, allot of our tech center employees are at or close to retirement. Murfreesboro? could have been you never know.