This entry on refusethejuice.typepad.com does a fine job of explaining some of our problems in El Paso. We need more jobs.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak
City of El Paso debt=$2,670,400,000, county and school district debt=$1,600,000,000. Total $4.27 billion. Your share $19,350
elpasospeak 
Totally agree. One of DK’s better posts. Good thoughts.
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l found “Mr. Wonderful’s” posting to be contradictory and even delusional, and here’s why: He criticizes the high unemployment in EP, but he seemed to be leaning towards Oligarchy Oretega, who not that long ago went on record saying that for awhile we have had higher wages and lower unemployment (implying of course, that it was because of his economic wizardry). Seems a bit flip flop-ish to me. Mr. Wonderful then defines a “Shapleigh Camper” as someone who thinks that if you build a really nice, expensive building that “they will come.” You mean like spending a fortune on a semi pro stadium under the belief that this will be good $ for EP? Does he not even know what he’s typing? According to his definition, he’s a SHAPLEIGH CAMPER! Does this make him a double-agent Shapleigh Camper? I’ll let you decide. And then he types, ‘El Pasoans get pissy when we make nice for people who pay for the fun.’ Huh? ln the 20.5 years that l’ve lived in the 915, the ONLY time l can think of us getting “pissy” is over this stadium debacle. l mean, l don’t recall anyone objecting over the downtown hotel revitalization tax incentives, or this new fancy-shmancey hotel near the airport that will take place due to tax incentives. lt seems that a vast majority of people have no problem with those things, so what the bloody hell is he talking about? Q: So what did l learn about Mr. Wonderful’s post? A: That it only took him 94000 words to say that he believes that a lot of people in our local government is incompetent and careless. Yea, that’s so profound! (clapping my hands sarcastically in front of the monitor) Maybe in his next post he could type 94000 words on how it’s hotter during the summer than it is during the winter.
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The head? Are you kidding? Business has had a free ride for 50 years. Want proof? The average CEO in 1965 made 20x what the average worker made. Today it is 273x.
Want to know why those firms are leaving? Simple, they are bottom feeders and have been from the beginning which is how we got them. We gave them handouts to lure them here from someplace else and now they are leaving. Big surprise.
I don’t hear anyone but me complaining about tax incentives to build a mall next to a mall. How about the Doubletree Hotel? They have reworked that deal several times because they can’t stand on their own without taxpayer help. Now we are doing it again to build a hotel near a bunch of other hotels near the airport.
People need to understand that all the handouts and breaks that Texas gives to business is only taking away from another state and hastens the race to the bottom. You dont see these firms giving a percentage of their government handouts to the workers….it goes right in their pocket and is part of the 273x equation.
Government has done exactly what “business” wants. See banking deregulation as an example…. and when it failed the pull yourself up by your own bootstraps crowd of big business ran to the taxpayer screaming for handouts and they got them. Business wanted free trade and you see what that has done to the working person. Free trade also helped the CEO crowd make 273x.
Washington DC is run by “business”. That is why the country is failing. I do not understand how people cannot understand that buying influence begets policy. You would have to be a complete moron to think that government is anti-business. The government is so pro-business and anti worker it’s laughable.
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The reason El Paso is not business friendly comes down to the bottom line. Anyone get their tax bill this May ? Due to pressure from the State and IMHO City Hall many evaluations were doubled or more on Commercial. Paul Foster wasnt the only one. When you see our City go into big time debt with the Bond Issues and the Ball Park what do you think business people think and know ? That Property Taxes will have to be raised. Mine were raised 100 percent and I fought it down to 30 percent even though the raising of it was not even justified. I figured the Attorney and consultant would cost me 16k anyway to fight it down. Giving tax incentives is a good way to be business friendly, but not as payback for Med School. Building another mall across from another Mall just waters down employment for both along with rents. A Baseball Park doesnt keep a business here either. Its the bottom line. Its Taxes, period. Offer Tax incentives to businesses that arent already here. How about if the city can ever get the Asarco property and have our new mayor offer this site to Hyundai to build a car plant here. No taxes forever for them. Have Utep have a mechanical engineering department that is dedicated to producing engineers for that plant. Hyundai built a plant in Montgomery Alabama a few years ago. Another reason businesses come and stay in a city is because of employment. People in Alabama arent pro union. El Paso im not so sure. Especially with all the Cesar Chavez worshipers we have here. unions havent worked here. Asarco was union, bankrupt. Furr’s was union, bankrupt. Peyton Packing owned by John Morrell packed and left. I could go on, but it still comes down to bottom line. Once Acer’s tax incentives were used up ? Gone. I think Thompson moved across the border once their tax incentives were gone. Baseball, downtown revitalization, another mall, even Motel incentives arent the answer. Offer big things to big employers. If not Hyundai, maybe Ford. Both could have parts being made right across the border in Mexico instead of getting them from China. Juarez would benefit too and if Juarez benefits then so does El Paso.
Overall, our property taxes are too high. Remember, even if a company loses money it still pays property tax. Once I sell i’m gone.
I will move to New Mexico. Just like Pat.
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