Fri
Aug 19 2011
09:11 am
Where are the jobs, Governor Haslam?
By: rocketsquirrel

Tennessee unemployment at 9.8%. Where are the jobs, Governor Haslam?

Here is his highly touted jobs plan.

Haslam, who visited the Johnson City Press on Tuesday with Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty, said the goal of the plan is “to make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high-quality jobs.”

Some fair questions to ask based on his Jobs4TN plan below the fold:

Of the four key announced strategies, How many "Jobs Base Camps" have been established? Where are they? What are they doing? Is this just a retitling of existing development districts, or something more?

What progress has been made in the six target clusters: automotive, chemicals and plastics, transportation, logistics and distribution, business services, health care, or advanced manufacturing and energy?

What investments has Tennessee made in "innovation?" Of the $50 million Haslam pledged under INCITE, where is it?

What business regulations have been reduced? It is now Fall, 2011 when they promised to have formal recommendations.

They appear to be using ThyssenKrupp Waupaca's reopening in Etowah as one example of Jobs4TN progress. I'm curious if this is another example of ECD officials taking credit for the hard work of a private company, or if ECD and Jobs4TN were actually involved in the restart in Etowah.

Where's the beef?

Topics:
R. Neal's picture

They can't tell you any of

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2011/08/19 - 10:17am.

They can't tell you any of that stuff because corporate relo/recruiting is "sensitive" so they have to keep it all secret. You'll only find out after the ribbon cutting how many millions in corporate welfare we gave away.

rocketsquirrel's picture

Yeah, I'm trying to be

Submitted by rocketsquirrel on Fri, 2011/08/19 - 10:54am.

Yeah, I'm trying to be fair-minded about this, and really would give credit where credit is due. But all I see is vapor.

R. Neal's picture

I agree it would be nice if

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2011/08/19 - 11:00am.

I agree it would be nice if the plan works, and those are good questions. Bredesen had a pretty good record on jobs, all things considered (including corporate welfare incentives).

It would be difficult in this economic environment, though, for Bredesen, or now Haslam, or anyone else going forward to get much traction until something gives.

Except maybe companies who want to come here to exploit a cheap, uneducated workforce and have the state pay for their remedial training, plus protections from tort, worker comp and unemployment claims, etc.

Brian A.'s picture

Maybe we should abolish child

Submitted by Brian A. on Fri, 2011/08/19 - 11:43am.

Maybe we should abolish child labor laws and other protections?

BHornback's picture

Well there's the FlyingJ Corporate

Submitted by BHornback on Sat, 2011/08/20 - 9:51am.

Offices that moved to Knoxville. I am sure there's another travel center slated for somewherein the state. Hey, better yet, after we recommit Bredesen's commitment to Amazon. Let's change our mind and get them to tax their sales. Yeah, the bait and switch. Ok, I can't believe I am on the side of you liberals on this.

Mary the prez's picture

Well, when the truth hurts, tell it anyway!

Submitted by Mary the prez on Sat, 2011/08/20 - 12:17pm.

And Rocket has it laid out there so even Dunn and Campfield should be able to get it.

Haslam has CUT hundreds of jobs, claimed he didn't need to go outside the State to recruit business, that all the corporations here (who do not pay their share of taxes) were going to create LOTS of new Tennessee jobs. He and all the TEAs and even the local Pols, bought and paid for by outside money (Koch, national Chamber of Commerce, et al) have done NOTHING but CUT jobs.

And his project to destroy our State's public schools...so blatantly obvious that even my Grandson who is in the second grade want to know: "Why are all those teachers who worked hard to help us learn to read...gone..."? "Why are there SO MANY kids in our room?" "Why do WE kids have to lose so that the grown ups can pay THEIR debts?"

I am getting ready to march again next week..."Where are the jobs, Duncan, Haslam, Corker and Lamar???" Anybody with me??

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