Does Anyone Else Find This Slightly Disturbing?
By Shaun Kenney | Monday, November 28th, 2011 | Economics, VirginiaMercury Paper, which recently moved its national headquarters to the Shenandoah Valley, is under attack by organizations such as Greenpeace for killing the rainforest… or something like that.
Now obviously, Greenpeace has the right to fly off the handle at will. Mercury Paper has the right to defend itself.
…but does anyone really think that it’s Lt. Governor Bill Bolling’s job to stick up for Mercury Paper? From Anita Kumar’s Virginia Politics blog at the WaPo:
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, the state’s chief jobs creation officer, is sending a flurry of letters to companies across the nation, including Wal-Mart, that are threatening to cut off business with Virginia-based Mercury Paper.
Mercury Paper, a subsidiary of Asia-based Sinar Mas Group, one of the world’s leading pulp and paper companies, expanded its Shenandoah County facility last year, relocating its North American headquarters to the site, creating 150 jobs and investing $21.2 million. (The state spent $250,000 to lure the company here.)
There’s capitalism. There’s socialism. When the two work in concert, isn’t that where we reach some oddly-shaped form of corporatism?
This isn’t a criticism of Bolling — Bolling is a fine conservative and is doing his job.
But is this the role of our government? I doubt it.
How many other times will Virginia go to bat for other beleaguered firms? Today it’s a strongly-worded letter. Tomorrow, is it further tax subsidies? Loans? Gifts?
Of course, we’re all facing the challenges of state capitalism vs. the free market. The Chinese government is running roughshod over the U.S. manufacturing industry precisely because the Chinese are willing to financially back enterprise with public funds.
Virginia and many other states are having to compete in the same environment, and even with federal minimum wage standards, a low state tax rate, right to work laws, one of the best public education backbones in the nation (believe it or not), and a level playing field for business across the Commonwealth… we still are required to sweeten the pot just to be competitive.
So is Bolling wrong? Should Virginia’s government be in the business of protecting corporations to the point of being spokesmen?
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About the author
Shaun Kenney is the Chairman of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors, former Communications Director for the Republican Party of Virginia, and an active blogger since 2002. Shaun lives in Thomas Jefferson's backyard with his wife, six children, and a modest attempt at a farm in Kents Store, Virginia.
Comments
8 Responses to "Does Anyone Else Find This Slightly Disturbing?"
Shaun, very good points. Government should be less involved in some parts of our lives (who we sleep with) and more involved in others (making sure I don’t ruin my car driving on I-264). Unfortunately, sometimes our governor, legislators, and justice officers forget that.
Thanks for writing this.
“The Chinese government is running roughshod over the U.S. manufacturing industry precisely because the Chinese are willing to financially back enterprise with public funds.”
They also (at home) are willing to destroy their environment, disregard personal property rights, and exploit cheap labor, amongst their many other practices.
“Virginia and many other states are having to compete in the same environment, and even with federal minimum wage standards, a low state tax rate, right to work laws, one of the best public education backbones in the nation (believe it or not), and a level playing field for business across the Commonwealth… we still are required to sweeten the pot just to be competitive.”
If that’s the case, what are we doing wrong?
Simply put, the State of Virginia should not be going to bat for this company. Or, if they’re willing to, then should the State go to bat for every company? It’s a tough situation to be putting the State in.
I would very much prefer that the government use tax incentives to lure employers and jobs than to spend tax dollars on “shovel ready” public works. The former creates sustainable employment; the latter is an exercise in futility where we prolong the illusion that government can create wealth.
As for the Greenpeace and other tree-huggers objecting to Mercury Paper’s products, what are the chances that their members and donators use no paper bags, paper towels, or toilet paper? And, of course, I’m sure that they have no printers attached to their computers and never publish their leaflets and flyers on paper.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling has done nothing wrong in this particular case.
This is Greenpeace.
These are the “Watermellons”, the “Eco-Nazis”, the “Mann made” warming fanatics, the crazy left-wing “Eco-Terrorists”, the “we hate carbon” anti-scientists that want you to give them 36 trillion dollars over the next 20 years for their schemes.
Greenpeace and the World wild life fund people all but control the UN’s IPC. Truth means nothing to these people.
Let Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling do as he thinks best and review his actions in a year or two.
Think that this is not a Chinese company
Yeah its a gray area for our ltgov to speak up but that is the role he has been granted. When all is said and done he is doing a decent job. Still cannot justify some of the state expenditures to bolster a winner.
Greenpeace is doing more than flying off the handle. They are calling for a boycott.
The treehuggers are trying to destroy a company because of their global warming nonsense.
If a bunch of whining losers launch a boycott against a Virginia company, we can and should defend against these leftist ninnies that put their politics ahead of the economy.
Mercury Paper is the US face of Asia Pulp and Paper, so its not an american company. Greenpeace objects to the way Asia pulp and paper does business – they bribe officials in Indonesia, allowing them to steal poor peoples land and livelihood. I can understand the kneejerk reaction against greenpeace, they ae certainly a confrontational and self righteous bunch. They are right in this case though. People want to help the poor prosper in Indonesia know this.
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