May 3, 2021 – Washington Co., WI – Last week, you may have heard Governor Evers touting his “Better Deal for Wisconsin” in regard to the agreement between our State and Foxconn. As usual, that title is quite misleading.
In mid-2017, Foxconn announced plans to invest $10 billion in a venture that would eventually employ 13,000 workers. It was to be the largest investment ever made by a foreign company in America and included impressive technology education and research connections into the UW system.
It was every bit the forward-looking, economy-transformative catalyst a rust-belt state could have dreamed for. However, because the deal was cut by Governor Walker, and involved President Trump, the Democrats and then-candidate Tony Evers immediately began criticizing, and lying about it.
They mischaracterized it as a corporate handout from the taxpayers, and the dutiful media repeated the lies. It became one of the main reasons voters turned against Walker in 2018.
Foxconn executives, rather bewildered by the attitude shift, mounting criticism, and then the hostile, newly elected Governor, not surprisingly began looking for a way out. Of course, liberal politicians and the media have portrayed the company as not living up to their deal, but can you really blame them?
The truth is that the plant is built, and other than infrastructure (development that has benefited the entire southeastern Wisconsin region), there’s been little cost to taxpayers. Most incentives were tied to benchmarks the company had to meet, subject to investment in our economy as well as turning a profit – all of which logically would have been positives.
All that our current Governor’s “better deal” achieved was to cut the company’s investment in our State to $672 million and lower the number of potential new jobs to 1,454. Tony did get himself elected, but proves he has no clue how private-sector jobs are created.
Randy Marquardt
West Bend
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Accurate, objective point of view ,thank you. As a minor observation, it seems the media actually takes the lead in mischaracterization (on the substantial majority of issues), then the dutiful earthbound liberals repeat the strategic lies.