February 27, 2006
Corporate Welfare Watch
The fiscally incontinent state legislature is still trying to pass a huge corporate welfare giveaway to the motion picture industry. Today's P-I: "State bills aim to lure lights, camera and action by cutting costs".
I'm all in favor of lowering taxes on business, but only when the tax breaks are applied equally to all businesses. Instead we have legislators, like women's studies professor Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, whose resume lists zero private sector experience, capriciously awarding public subsidies to businesses on the basis of lobbying clout and social prestige. This is government at its worst.
UPDATE: A bona fide UW professor e-mails to correct me:
Jeanne's not a professor; she's a part-time lecturer.
I stand corrected and apologize to the entire UW community.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 27, 2006
10:02 AM | Email This
1. Perhaps Sen. Kohl-Welles is trying to position herself for a spot on the next version of Dancing With The Stars!!
She does seem to be the easily "star-struck" type of KLOWN who would suck-up to Hollywood.
Perhaps the next Reality TV program should be entitled:
KLOWNING WITH THE KLOWNS!
starring The Chief KLOWN, Jeanne K-W.
2. You don't see Hollywood movies made in Hollywood anymore.
So, instead of tackling the problem- expenses (read unions), they are offering welfare to the unions.
I hate corporate welfare, but I hate union welfare the most.
3. Every wonder why shows and movies that take place in "Seattle" get shot in Vancouver, BC? Unions and regulations. Hollywood has been hemorraging movie shoots for a long time because the demands of the unions drove the studios elsewhere. With top tier talent demanding bigger cuts of the take, they had to go elsewhere in order to cut costs. Add in environmental regulations, local licensing fees, etc. and you see why production has moved not only out of WA, but out of the US in general.
It really came to a head after the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. What few action flicks that were still shot in the US had to go away, since the armorers could no longer purchase weapons to use on set. The armorers that supply weapons to the studios formed an association to lobby congress to loosen restrictions so they could try to stay in business.
Look closely and you'll find the common thread, liberal "feel-good" policies that strangle business, and freedom in general. Why we taxpayers should foot the bill to fix these errors is what I want a coherent answer to.
4. Okay, so let me get this straight. Our state was willing to run Boeing out of the state, but now wants to subsidize out of state corporations, rather than our own? I think I need some help understanding this.
5. Might as well subsidize the Sonics, Mariners, and Sea Hawks while we're at it
6. I only want 5 million and I can hire 30 employees. Fair enough?
7. I don't know the fine print (or large print even) of Sen. Kohl-Welles' bill. But isn't it, as a general principal, a worthy goal of attracting new business to this state? Taxes from the motion picture industry pave the roads and just as flat as any other type of industry.
The only question here is whether the folks who have been in charge for the past three decades have the chops to be able to succeed in this goal. Afterall, these are the same folks who were in charge when the motion picture industry was run-out of town on a rail to begin with.
8. And on a lighter note, we've all been able to point out all of the continuity errors in McQ, Sleepless in Seattle and Assassins dozens of times now. It's become boring.
We need another local movie made in Seattle that has a car chase/boat chase scene which goes racing around Pioneer Square, to the U-District, Alki, Port of Seattle and Ocean Shores.
Oh, and for my money, McQ is still the best Seattle-based movie around although I'm sure others have their favorites. Gotta love "Duke" Wayne hosing badguys with an Uzi after being kicked off the Seattle Police Department.
9. Not to change the subject but, 211, Hi I spent
all my money on crack and I can't pay my rent.
Help. It's Bushs' fault!
10. Have you read Kohl-Wells' resume?
She involved herself in 3 lifetimes of worthless liberal dribble.
11. Good point Keb!!
12. Does this mean that the great Washington leadership is finally realizing that lower taxes means increased revenue? HELLO.....
13. More meaningless fluff thrown out there to distract people from the real travesty Kohl-Welles and her ilk have created in Olympia. She and the rest of the liberal Dems are not looking out for anyone but themselves. Time to send her and rest of these clowns packing in November !
14. If you haven't picked up on it yet. California is a SOCIALIST STATE.
Keep taxing the middle class to pay for the freeloaders.
As for the unions chasing films out of Hollywood. Not so. It is the freebies that third world countries and socialist countries such as Canada give to lure the film industry.
Biggest problem that exists is that the producers and majority of directors and actors have no clue what they are doing. Unless it's looking for their drugs.