The biomass “subsidy by govt induced higher electrical rates” issue just won’t go away. The Union Leader has yet another piece lamenting that companies aren’t getting corporate welfare. Landowners are angry that the government won’t help their profits or politics for a new protected class (“unemployed biomass workers”).
Three things stuck out like sore thumbs:
- “We are disappointed that this important jobs and forestry solution was turned into a political control battle,” Edward Kent, president of the company that owns the Whitefield and Springfield plants, said in a statement.
Well, what did you THINK, Mr. Kent (I’m really trying hard not to throw in “ya moron!” but I will refuse the temptation). You get the government involved. You get legislative bills involved. You want the government to force others involuntarily to pay more than they’d otherwise have to pay for electricity. Of COURSE, it gets political.
You demanded corporate welfare instead of going “oh, the marketplace doesn’t want our product – I guess we have to change our business model.” Instead, you wanted a bailout. You wanted to be kinsmen of buggy whip makers.
Stop the whining and leave our pockets alone (goes for you, too, NH State Senators Jeb Bradley and Bob Guida).
- Jasen Stock, executive director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, warned the closing plants would impact the wider community, and make it harder for landowners to profit from their land.
What, so society at large is supposed to make SURE you get a profit from your commercial undertaking? You’re just making the Berni-bros argument for them with this (that capitalists are selfish).
Sidenote: well, one thing is for sure – they’re not capitalists, their corporatists in desiring a sweet deal from the government. Handouts, created in dark corners of an overly large government structure. And people wonder why I want a minimalist government – it gets rid of those dark corners.
No, not a direct one but there is absolutely NO reason why we have to subsidize your “low-quality wood” product for any reason. Should Govt be subsidizing “low-quality hot dogs” or “low-quality ice cream” or “low-quality pizza” vendors that are on the verge of going out of business? After all, those are important to me but no such effort is made for them. Nor the mini-computer marketplace of years ago – no subsidies for us!
And then Dan Feltes, always trying the grandstand, shows his best on how to “step in it” with this version of yet another protected identity class politics:
In Concord, Feltes — the Senate Majority Leader who is running to replace Sununu as governor in 2020 — filed a bill Friday to provide money to help biomass industry workers train for and find new jobs. The bill, titled the “Biomass and Forest Products Workers Assistance Act of 2020,” [er, not listed on the General Court website yet -Skip] would earmark unemployment funds to help biomass workers learn new skills and find new jobs.
So, the State already has 40 odd training/re-training programs and Feltes believes that mandating and appropriating money for a SMALL number of former employees (40 according to the piece) is a great use of State money? What’s that overhead cost, Feltes? Is this better thought of as an “in-kind” campaign donation courtesy of NH Taxpayers? You mean to say, with this bill, that the State of NH doesn’t have the resources in place for these folks??
Oh, wait!
Ben Vihstadt, a spokesman for Gov. Chris Sununu, said in a statement that workers were already being connected with state resources for job training, community college courses, unemployment benefits and information on local jobs, after the state Department of Employment Security visited the plants this week.
On Twitter, Vihstadt took a harsher tone on Feltes’ bill. “Fact check: the state is already doing all of this,” he wrote.
So, two choices in thinking of Feltes: clueless or pandering. Pick one.
Oh, wait! Perhaps both…..
In either case, one thing is clear: he has no regard for other peoples’ money as long as it would get him a couple of extra votes.