I've written before on how I consider multinational corporations who ask local governments for incentives to be little more than mercenaries and Procter And Gamble is no exception. But I can't fault the Greensboro City Council for approving almost a $Million Dollars in incentives to P&G in the next few years.
You see, the way the incentive proposal was written the incentives won't be paid until after P&G puts the people to work and makes additional investments in their Greensboro plant. It almost looked like a sweet deal for Greensboro until you consider the fact that while P&G made $10 Billion Dollars in profits last year, Greensboro is currently facing a $6 Million Dollar Deficit.
But P&G had a rope around the City Councils' collective necks. With an unemployment rate nearing 10% Greensboro is in desperate need for jobs and P&G made no secret of the fact that they could and would take their jobs elsewhere if Greensboro refused to play the incentive game.
Should the Greensboro City Council have turned P&G away? Probably. Would any politician facing the same situation dare say no? Somehow I doubt it. Come November this council is going to be fighting for reelection and even if they weren't Greensboro is hurting for jobs to the point that Council was forced to do things at least some of them didn't want to do but voted for anyway.
If there's any blame to be cast it is to be cast on Proctor and Gamble for putting the Greensboro City Council between a rock and a hard place.
You see, the way the incentive proposal was written the incentives won't be paid until after P&G puts the people to work and makes additional investments in their Greensboro plant. It almost looked like a sweet deal for Greensboro until you consider the fact that while P&G made $10 Billion Dollars in profits last year, Greensboro is currently facing a $6 Million Dollar Deficit.
But P&G had a rope around the City Councils' collective necks. With an unemployment rate nearing 10% Greensboro is in desperate need for jobs and P&G made no secret of the fact that they could and would take their jobs elsewhere if Greensboro refused to play the incentive game.
Should the Greensboro City Council have turned P&G away? Probably. Would any politician facing the same situation dare say no? Somehow I doubt it. Come November this council is going to be fighting for reelection and even if they weren't Greensboro is hurting for jobs to the point that Council was forced to do things at least some of them didn't want to do but voted for anyway.
If there's any blame to be cast it is to be cast on Proctor and Gamble for putting the Greensboro City Council between a rock and a hard place.
