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by r00fus 3175 days ago
Hey if it works for sports stadiums why can't it work to create a company town (but where cities take the hit if the company town fails)?
2 comments

> Hey if it works for sports stadiums why can't it work to create a company town

Because it doesn't work for sports stadiums. It works in the sense of corporate welfare, but it is not a net gain for the community.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2016/09/09/top-...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/public-money-used-build-...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2015/01/31/publi...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcwJt4bcnXs

It's sad watching cities fall over themselves to give Amazon (a half a trillion dollar company) a handout. Handouts no one can afford.

> (but where cities take the hit if the company town fails)

As a country [1], states [2], and many municipalities [3], we're very much insolvent as it relates to future obligations. Could we please stop supporting reckless behavior making it worse?

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2013/10/...

[2] https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-state-pension-fundin...

[3] https://govrank.org/research/researchText/61

I'm being sarcastic - sure it doesn't work for the host, but the parasite seems to do pretty well.
Apologies I didn't pick up on it. I am extremely passionate about transparent government spending and governance of that spending.
Incidentally Amazon's core business started from sales and use tax avoidance, so shopping for tax benefits is the most Amazon thing