Update, May 5:
Seattle’s Technical Alliance said Washington State is dead last among 10 states it ranks for graduate programs in science and engineering. Check out this article in The Seattle Times. Even Utah ranks higher.
As we said in our EDC speech, that Washington ranks so poorly in an epicenter that include Boeing and Microsoft is simply pathetic.
Original Post:
We blasted Washington’s governor and Legislature in our speech to the Economic Development Council of Snohomish County for inaction over the past several decades to promote aerospace here and to get off the dime on education.
Well, guess what? The Legislature ended its session April 26 and–no action. See this story in The Everett Herald.
Now the governor says she will take action into her own hands. We were totally unimpressed with her first cut. We’ll see how she does with the second.
Irrespective of the status of my investment, the Guv shouldn’t offer anything to Boeing unless Boeing is prepared to make guarantees in return.
If Boeing really wants any sort of beneficial relationship with the state, then a quid pro quo must be established, or we are simply helping finance an exodus.
We are into massive deficits in this state, and it must be shown precisely what the benefits will be.
Onemancrew, what ‘quid-pro-quo’s’ are you suggesting. Given Scott’s note about where WA state stands WRT graduate programs in science and engineering, and the current state of labor relations –undeniably poisonous–what are the state’s ‘bargaining chips’?
Well, the state wants to keep jobs.
Boeing wants the equivalent of tax free status.
Somewhere in that great divide lies a possible answer.
The education and transportation issues are just a lot of manure being spread to distract from the money issues.
As to labor relations, Boeing and the machinist union are now engaged in a kissy face campaign right now. It started with the last conferance call, wheein Boing ceased lashing the union for the strike, and the union in turn, going all gooey over thier corperate masters in the latest issue of their newspaper, which is available at their website. But alterations to Washington’, non ‘right to work’ status are probably not on the table.
As a shareholder, the best deal that can be made to support Boeing is in order. As a taxpayer, simply giving Boeing tax relief and having them leave anyway because no binding agreements were made is a BAD idea.