Costly incentives must secure jobs

In Herald Writer Jerry Cornfield’s March 14 front page article, “Boeing defends tax breaks,” he reports that Vice-President McSherry came to Olympia in person to dialogue with our legislators over House Bill 2147, sponsored by 38th District Rep. June Robinson. The legislation was drawn up in response to workforce shrinkage since the November 2013, record breaking tax incentive passed by the Legislature; Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 751, cooperated in writing the House Bill to defend Washington’s taxpayers’ buy-in.

Surely Vice-President McSherry, The Boeing Co. executives, board members and stockholders realize that withdrawing well employed taxpaying employees from the state at the same time reaping the taxpayer-funded tax incentive will result in Washington state roads that fall further into disrepair, our schools inability to pay good teachers to keep them from leaving the profession, unfunded public infrastructure (such as a new interchange in Marysville due to train traffic), and the disappearance of community services for families, the disabled and the elderly. When The Boeing Co. corporate offices moved to another state, the executives and their staff who used to be part of this local community now spend their incomes elsewhere and may support the arts, schools and charities outside Washington state as well. Thank you.

Rosemarie Dickson Cook

Everett