[George Buckley, chief executive and chairman of 3M] Mr Buckley, who has run the diversified manufacturer since 2005, said: "There is a sense among companies that this is a difficult place to do business. It is about regulation, taxation, seemingly anti-business policies in Washington, attitudes towards science."
He added: "Politicians forget that business has choice. We're not indentured servants and we will do business where it's good and friendly. If it's hostile, incrementally, things will slip away. We've got a real choice between manufacturing in Canada and Mexico – which tend to be pro-business – or America."
The 3M chief also criticised US immigration policy, saying the difficulty of obtaining visas was forcing companies to move research and development overseas. "About 68 per cent of our science PhD candidates are from outside the US," he said. "Many want to stay here afterwards but we're not allowed as many visas as we would like."
"We are now exporting science overseas to China, India, Germany, building labs there. There's a good strategic reason for it, but we also have no choice – if we can't get the people here and we're competing with the people there, we have no choice but to do it locally."
That's some pretty straight freakin' talk there. That's some "Smarten up or we are OUT of here, beatch!" kinda talk.
CEO of Intel said the same thing a couple years ago. Their chip-fab was built in Arizona because there was literally no amount of money -in the world- that could get it built in California. Couldn't be done. And the reason was government.
Here at home, if the Liberal Party of Ontario and the federal Conservative Party of Canada had even an ounce of brains between them, they would be cutting regulations and taxes on manufacturing to all-time lows just to attract 3M and Intel and all these guys here to Canada. They should lay out the Red Carpet and scatter pink rose petals on it.
What are they doing instead? Windmills and tax increases, that's what. Union/NDP/Liberal astroturf violence at the G-20. Oh, and trying to strong arm the CPC into continuing the tax-and-spend toboggan ride. Anybody remember Iggy threatening to overturn the government over the "stimulus" he demanded? I remember.
Hey Dalton! Hey Iggy! Who is John Galt?!
The Phantom
6 comments:
Wasn't John Galt the guy who "goes Galt" when he doesn't get his way. You know, like going on strike?
Meanwhile, that bastion of fiscal rectitude, Rob "stop the gravy train" Ford, is now revealed. He only wanted to stop the gravy train to change drivers, add a few cars (including an extra dining car). And who should pay for this? Why somebody else, as it always is from the far right. Privatize the gains and socialize the losses, right?
Hahahahahahaha!
You didn't think maybe a nice "fuck off" from Liberal Dalton McGuinty lets Ford go back to the TTC union and the teacher's union and etc and say "Sorry, Dalton said no soup for you."
Plus, what message does this send to the masses of asses who live by or on the government dole in Toronto? It says VOTE CONSERVATIVE, that's what it says.
Go Ford!
As to John Galt, you feel no twinge of concern that 3M and Intel and all those guys might up-stakes from North America? Of course not, you're a "liberal supporter". Money grows on trees, right? The faeries bring it, don't they?
You didn't think maybe a nice "fuck off" from Liberal Dalton McGuinty lets Ford go back to the TTC union and the teacher's union and etc and say "Sorry, Dalton said no soup for you."
I'm sure the Fords will try to spin it however they want, the bottom line is they have no problem trying to make their problem someone else's. Typical fright wingers.
And try to pay attention, the teachers aren't paid by the city. You're too busy salivating over the Wisconsin gov trying to push through a bill to allow him to sell any and all state assets at any price without oversight or review, using the teachers union as a fig leaf for his real agenda.
Plus, what message does this send to the masses of asses who live by or on the government dole in Toronto? It says VOTE CONSERVATIVE, that's what it says.
It does? Well, it's true the CPC supporters are busy supporting tax breaks for the rich, while most of them aren't going to benefit. Instead they'll only be able to take pleasure in sneering at anyone less fortunate than themselves. But normal people just voted for Ford to cut the spending, not impose the fascist agenda you promote.
Go Ford!
He'll do a great job. He's smarter than to buy into the far right agenda you would have him follow.
As to John Galt, you feel no twinge of concern that 3M and Intel and all those guys might up-stakes from North America?
They already have, for the most part, thanks to the far right in the US. But with the US currency being driven down, soon the exchange rates will be corrected, and no longer will the far east imports be artificially cheap.
Right now, you can get bus fare in Beijing for 16 cents. A loaf of bread 30 cents. No wonder they don't have to pay the people much in our currency. The real problem is the artificial exchange rate. But as long as companies want to take advantage of that, I see no reason not to tax them. We already tax less than most countries, Steve's extra giveaway won't change where they do business.
Of course not, you're a "liberal supporter". Money grows on trees, right? The faeries bring it, don't they?
Too bad you can't refute my argument and have to resort to ad hominem, and now I see, comment moderation.
Typical.
Comment moderation is to prevent spammers, and to keep people like Lucy from the CHRC from filling up my comments with racist trash when I'm busy doing Other Things.
Also for deleting people I don't like. This is -my- place, not some faerie land "free speech zone".
But you liberal supporter, you get your very own post because you have captured perfectly everything that being a Liberal is.
China as an example of a "better place" to live....Really?
Bus fare is cheap, loaves of bread are cheap (especially the ones with added Melamine...), Labour is cheap (especially the slave ones). Sounds like paradise, except of course life is cheap and your real rights are non-existent. Sell or use drugs (popular liberal thing to do, eh?), support the Dalai Lama, hold a public demonstration (helloooo Wisconsin!) or just commit the minor transgression du jour (secret lists of these kept at your local Party HQ) and your sale-able internal organs are up and out of you a few minutes after the mobile execution bus visits your jail. Do come up with a better example of a workers' paradise....
Greetings O Enormous One. The handle "liberal supporter" says it all. You've got to be able to believe black is white one minute and then swear that black is blue the next to be that guy.
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