What do I know, but I live in a state where I'm watching business lay-off employees and/or leave my state. The biggest story of late: Mercury Marine (MM hereafter) in Fond du Lac.
I won't bore the point, you can Google that. Short story: there's another (3rd) vote Thursday and Friday this week. This is well past the original 'deadline' and after MM management said that was their final offer.
But here's what I think about the whole thing (I'm no expert, just another crazy offering his opinion):
Management was planning to close up shop here in WI and move it all to OK. But they were waiting on the state of WI to see what they would do to 'lure' them to stay here. Now that there has been a few weeks of hubbub about this move, Diamond Jim and the Fond du Lac crew have jumped in to 'help.' Help with tax dollars... a problem in it's own right.
So, there are a few solutions to this:
1. MM is putting on the dog-and-pony show to fake an effort in keeping jobs in WI. They will let the union tire itself out, and move to OK anyway. Taking the jobs with and emptying Fond du Lac.
2. News of jobs coming to WI are possible, but only now that the state is offering an 'incentive package' to keep MM here. If this news had never come, to OK MM would be going right now. This might be financial incentive enough to MM to stay here, at the expense of the WI taxpayer. Or this could end just like 1.
3. The fervor with which this story has been covered lately may have started some sort of 'war' between WI and OK. Resulting in the re-vote that MM allowed the union. This could be just a over-reaching guess, but fun none-the-less.
Here's a few questions though:
a. How many lakes are in OK? Versus how many are in WI? Aren't there more customers here?
b. BUT, OK is a right-to-work state, WI is not. Where would you go?
c. Was the state talking to MM long before they decided to move, or just because they caused the uproar? Diamond Jim didn't seem to have the time when Thomas Industries was battling over Sheboygan or Louisiana.
My point isn't to belittle the state of Wisconsin. I love to live here, and it's not a bad place to do business, there's just better places. When we can make this state a place businesses will want to come without state handouts, then I'll be less worried. The first step is making this state a right-to-work. Fuck the unions! Strong word, yes, but it makes my point. I've met few union members who wish they weren't. The rest are lazy slackers. I'm not just saying this either, I worked one summer in a union shop, regrettably. I'd never seen such effort to do so little work. If they put that much thought into their actual work, they'd really earn what they are paid.
There's more, but that's for another day...
-HypnotistOfLadies :-\
Next Point: The crappiest videos on YouTube... (that shouldn't be hard, but it will be a long post) Or this is just a cop-out so I don't have to think hard...
P.S. Little did I know in June that my 'Next Point' would actually be applicable. How interesting!
