Wednesday, September 07, 2005

More Corporate Welfare in Morristown

What to do when an International Corporation may have to actually pay for building a manufacturing plant? Why, get it from taxpayers of course. That's what the Morristown city officials did on Tuesday, after they also annexed even more homes and land the owners wanted to keep OUT of the city. As Alex said in "A Clockwork Orange" - "You sees Pretty Polly, and you takes her." You'd think Kawasaki would want to invest some of their own profits, that city leaders would want them to invest in the community. Oh sure, they'll send 20 school kids to some seminars, or put a float in the Christmas parade sponsored by the local business club. Talk about lining up at the trough and chowing down! This feeding frenzy is standard ops, dictated to an 'elected' council which marches to any tune the piper plays.

Decades of recruiting manufacturing has also meant decades of seizing property, usually on inferior sites near property owned by friends of the recruiters and often by city officials, and fleecing the local and state population by using tax dollars to pay for any and everything related to construction costs. Naturally, those millions of dollars offset the tax payments they might make. All the toxic waste the industry creates is cleaned up using your tax dollars. When employees get laid off, they get tax dollar payments to go to schools operated by many of the same recruiters.

Decades of protests by locals are demonized. If an elected official does raise questions, they are smeared with lies and hand-picked replacements take over. Plans and pleas by residents to create non-industrial jobs lay gathering dust on the shelf. Temp agencies make sure salaries and benefits are minimal compared to national statistics. This year alone, unemployment in the county has been steady at 6.5 to 7.5% compared to a national average of 5%. Taxpayers get saddled with massive debts to build and maintain international companies, cable TV, sewer systems, etc etc. And city coffers bulge with profits which seldom are applied to local businesses or community projects, and they refuse to even provide crossing guards at schools in the city limits. But any hint of complaint is dealt harsh, swift rebukes by local media -- whose owners are also recruiters.

What does the community do? They quit voting -- the most recent city elections saw 93% of registered voters NOT voting. Sadly, it's all they can do to avoid vicious recrimination, threats, and publicized name-calling. Residents know their voices are reviled, ignored, and stolen.

Your taxes, your voices, your choices are NOT yours. They've been yanked out from under you.


  1. auralee10:14 AM

    as always, you put an edge to the sword and cut deeply where the jugulars lie..or is that lay? at anyrate liars and layman alike can certainly count on you to don the tights and cape...with a mighty pen, leap tall buildings and confront the corporate/government monsters. i said it once, my friend, i will state it again....invitations for the TEA party are being sent bulk mail.......that is..IF we can afford the proper postage!
    ps..this ain't no game for the common man who has to pay bills, raise a family and try to put food on the table...yes i mean all at the same time...and now..take a second job to afford the gas to go to the first job. just think, babydoll...all those lovely taxes rolling into the coffers. the more we make the more they take.
    i won't give up my cup of joe for the other libation, unless it's uncle jack who is offering...but it worked once before, and i am always UP for a party!!!

  2. Scorpio Rising10:48 AM

    Joe, as usual you are right on the money-literally!
    If a person wants to know what is really going on: Just Follow the Money Trail! It usually leads to the same local pockets, and brother, they ain't yours!

  3. What's with all the white space? It bugs me. Cut it out. It hurts my feelings. Why are you making me look at all that unused space? I must go take my medication and calm down. Demonic white space; I REBUKE THEE!

  4. Hey glad to see you have found a place to keep on keeping on. if you get the chance visit Travis's Blog on Iraq but if you visist mine don't correct my english ha ha

  5. Always good to hear from you!
    I'll be sure to come by your blog and to Travis' site.
    He is one of several young men I know over in Iraq and I hate that they are there in harm's way. Here's to his safe and speedy return!!

    And yes, I will never stop bashing the idiots who keep the fine residents of Morristown hemmed in with their greed and arrogance.

  6. Anonymous7:56 PM

    There is a link in the greed that is at the core of Morristown. It is a web that writhes from industry to schools to a newspaper to a radio station to a utility/internet company to several law firms to real estate moguls and to the public puppets (aka elected officials) that serve themselves and their "good old boy" associates and then hang everybody else out to dry (or pay the bill for the environmental damage).

    Remember the Scripps-Howard motto: Give light and the people will find their way. You're giving light. Thanks!