When will enough be enough? Industry’s silent partners, big government and labor unions, never seem to be satisfied. They demand to split the profits, but refuse to share any of the labor or the expenses. They will barbecue the golden goose, then cry when there are no more golden eggs.
The Boeing Co. may be ready to pattern its future after the auto industry, which moved car production out of Detroit, into several new plants across the country and, eventually, out of the U.S. The Big Three set up manufacturing plants in Japan, Korea and other countries.
It was big government that made Boeing wait more than a year and a half for building permits. It was big government that made the company pay over $50 million to expand its Everett plant. No big deal – they can afford it.
It just didn’t seem to matter how many new tax paying jobs the expansion would create. The attitude seems to be, hit them big up front – they can afford it.
Recently, one of the union demands sent Boeing employees on a strike that eventually cost many individual workers more than they will ever record. The result for most was a long, unauthorized, unpaid leave, and some have never been recalled.
Then there was the union that was going to help well-paid air traffic controllers get more. More than 80 percent who held out for the union demands were fired.
State government doesn’t seem to have a gray area when it comes to fining its largest employer. The attitude seems to be, hit ‘em with a big fine – they can afford it.
The federal government doesn’t think it’s too big. But it thinks Microsoft is. So the fat, bloated feds want to split a successful company – a company that has created more tax-paying millionaires than any other company in history. The state government kept silent and made no attempt to back off the feds from possibly affecting such a major tax revenue source. After all, let Microsoft do battle with federal courts – they can afford it.
Is it just a coincidence that the government’s legal action not only caused Microsoft stock to take a sizable dip, but the entire stock market went into a roller coaster plunge?
How far will Bill Gates let his big silent partner push before he seeks a country that would really welcome such a major employer?
It would be very expensive for Boeing and Microsoft to move. But let’s not forget what the government and the unions have been preaching all along – they can afford it.
Mill Creek
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