Roy, I think you are partially correct. Some in the liberal power structure know very well their policies many times lead to a recurring cycle of dependency and disincentives for job creation. It is power they seek to maintain. However, I also think some liberal true-believers have fallen into a habit of thinking good intentions are enough. It is up to those of us who believe results are the goal, and the factor upon which policy should be made and judged, to make sure results receive as much discussion as intentions. A good example of an attempt to do this involved an amendment proposed by Sen. Hugh Webster during the recent General Assembly vote on the $242 million package of incentives for Dell Computer. What Webster wanted, and why, is described in this excerpt from a Nov. 10 Raleigh News & Observer story by J. Andrew Curliss (I would provide a link but it is in the paper’s subscriber-only archives).
“He wants to allow the public to inspect company records related to tax breaks. He pushed for changes last week as part of the legislature’s approval of $242 million in incentives for Dell. Webster’s proposal lost in a 25-23 vote in the Senate. “These things are cloaked in secrecy, and I wonder what would be wrong with a little sunshine coming in on them,” Webster said in an interview. “Who knows if they are or will be living up to these commitments they are making?” Dell must invest at least $100 million and create 1,200 jobs within the first five years to qualify for the state’s incentives. The jobs are expected to pay an average of $28,000 annually. Webster said he does not trust Revenue or Commerce officials to hold the companies to account. “It falls to bureaucrats to do the checking, and they all report to the head bureaucrat, the governor, who pushed this scheme,” he said.”
