Texas Gives Canadian CGI Group Inc. $1.8 mil to Create 350 Jobs in Texas

[JuanVato]

Gov. Rick Perry has announced the state is investing $1.8 million through the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) in CGI Group Inc. for the creation of the company's new U.S. onshore delivery center in Belton. Contingent upon the completion of a local incentive agreement, this investment will create 350 new jobs and $7 million in capital investment.

"Employers from across the nation and around the world continue to look to Texas as the best state to do business thanks to our low taxes, reasonable and predictable regulatory climate, fair legal system and skilled workforce," Gov. Perry said. "This TEF investment in CGI will create 350 jobs and millions in capital investment, strengthening the economy in Central Texas and creating a livelihood for hundreds of Texas families."

For those scoring at home that is a government subsidy of $5,143/job.

At the bottom of the press release it says:

The fund has since become one of the state's most competitive tools to recruit and bolster business. To date, the TEF has invested more than $439.8 million and closed the deal on projects generating more than 59,000 new jobs and more than $14.7 billion in capital investment in the state.

http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/16690/


The punchline is those figures are not audited by an outside firm and have been found to be like most government figures-inflated.

How does that taste Canada?
Jobs moving to Texas thanks to a guy who calls himself a "conservative" on the campaign trail, but then doles out taxpayer cash while our schools struggle.

At least those smart Canadians will be moving down here to take those jobs.
Hope you enjoy September.

 

[Frizzle_Fry]

For those scoring at home that is a government subsidy of $5,143/job.

At the bottom of the press release it says:

http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/16690/


The punchline is those figures are not audited by an outside firm and have been found to be like most government figures-inflated.

How does that taste Canada?
Jobs moving to Texas thanks to a guy who calls himself a "conservative" on the campaign trail, but then doles out taxpayer cash while our schools struggle.

At least those smart Canadians will be moving down here to take those jobs.
Hope you enjoy September.

Conservative...lol perry is an absolute scum bag who signed that bullshit law that gives illegal aliens 100k free ride to any state school simply for being illegal among numerous other laws that have done nothing but fuck Texans

The fact that he did this shocks me not even a tiny bit.

Also why are our schools struggling? I have herd the add's for donating school supplies to tx schools on the radio here in Austin. They got 84 BILLION fucking dollars this year and they can't afford class supplies? Absolutely nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excuse for that. *sniff* I smell bullshit corruption....

On second thought maybe it has to do with all the robin hood schools we have. My old man lives down the street from a 35 million dollar high school, with 20 some odd kids who attend it. Their football stadium rivals UT's and they don't even have a football team.

Nope...still corruption.

 

[JuanVato]

So True....

No kidding about the size and type of these schools now.

I recall being bused to the old "seperate, but equal" high school during the "send the non black kids to black schools" period.

I am so waiting for a new Tea Party type gov to get in power and expose Perry for some illegal crony captialism deals.

I want his career to end like Roger Clemens.

 

[Frizzle_Fry]

No kidding about the size and type of these schools now.

I recall being bused to the old "seperate, but equal" high school during the "send the non black kids to black schools" period.

I am so waiting for a new Tea Party type gov to get in power and expose Perry for some illegal crony captialism deals.

I want his career to end like Roger Clemens.

The whole school bit is crony socialism....steal from the big city's tax base, put them in run down 70 y/o schools to give the dozen kids in BFE a Harvard style/size campus.

And yes...ol' slick rick needs to be fired asap.

 

[semen4her]

Smart Canadians wouldn't move to Texas.

 

[islandman]

~$5K/job?

I'd do that deal all day. Most governors would.



So, what exactly is the problem?

 

[JuanVato]

....

~$5K/job?

I'd do that deal all day. Most governors would.



So, what exactly is the problem?

Socialism
Government is picking winners and losers.
That is not the role of a limited government.
If Perry were a liberal democrat, then I would expect this.

Another problem is the TEF and TETF have never had a independent audit.

Besides, if government was the best entity to invest in the private sector, then social security would be the hedge funds to end all hedge funds.

 

[islandman]

Socialism
Government is picking winners and losers.
That is not the role of a limited government.
If Perry were a liberal democrat, then I would expect this.

Another problem is the TEF and TETF have never had a independent audit.

Besides, if government was the best entity to invest in the private sector, then social security would be the hedge funds to end all hedge funds.

I don't see it referenced in the press release you linked that the Canadian company was given the funds over another company or, for that matter, that CGI needs those funds to stay in business.

Now that would be picking winners and losers.


Perhaps I'm missing something?


Also, if there's never been an independent audit, on what basis can you make the claim that "and have been found to be like most government figures-inflated."?

 

[KRCummings]

For those scoring at home that is a government subsidy of $5,143/job.

At the bottom of the press release it says:

http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/16690/


The punchline is those figures are not audited by an outside firm and have been found to be like most government figures-inflated.

How does that taste Canada?
Jobs moving to Texas thanks to a guy who calls himself a "conservative" on the campaign trail, but then doles out taxpayer cash while our schools struggle.

At least those smart Canadians will be moving down here to take those jobs.
Hope you enjoy September.

So they spent 400 million to bring in 14 billion and thousands of jobs and you have a problem with this?

 

[islandman]

So they spent 400 million to bring in 14 billion and thousands of jobs and you have a problem with this?

I surmised that people in TX don't pay taxes of any sort, hence why the OP made the case that the Fund operated at the detriment to TX' school system.

Once someone confirms this for me, I may very well want to move there.

 

[Frizzle_Fry]

Also, if there's never been an independent audit, on what basis can you make the claim that "and have been found to be like most government figures-inflated."?

Seriously? We are run by a government that pays 11,680 bucks for a 700 dollar CT scan...I have the receipt. Not to mention the 600 dollar bottle of pills they give me that cost 50 bucks for anyone anywhere else in the world.

Why would they not inflate the figures on this?

They fucking buy 200 dollar rolls of toilet paper in the Army...single ply and I would bet money the butt wipe factory is owned by some senators home boy or brother in law.

What about the the 7,000 dollar body armor that a civilian can buy for 800 bucks?

No inflated price tags there.....

The US government is the BIGGEST waster of money on planet earth.

 

[KRCummings]

I surmised that people in TX don't pay taxes of any sort, hence why the OP made the case that the Fund operated at the detriment to TX' school system.

Once someone confirms this for me, I may very well want to move there.

There's obviously something wrong with their school system because everyone on this site that's from Texas is a blithering idiot.

 

[KRCummings]

Seriously? We are run by a government that pays 11,680 bucks for a 700 dollar CT scan...I have the receipt. Not to mention the 600 dollar bottle of pills they give me that cost 50 bucks for anyone anywhere else in the world.

Why would they not inflate the figures on this?

They fucking buy 200 dollar rolls of toilet paper in the Army...single ply and I would bet money the butt wipe factory is owned by some senators home boy or brother in law.

What about the the 7,000 dollar body armor that a civilian can buy for 800 bucks?

No inflated price tags there.....

The US government is the BIGGEST waster of money on planet earth.

Nobody said they weren't. The question was how can the guy say the figures were found to be inflated if there was no audit.

 

[islandman]

Seriously? We are run by a government that pays 11,680 bucks for a 700 dollar CT scan...I have the receipt. Not to mention the 600 dollar bottle of pills they give me that cost 50 bucks for anyone anywhere else in the world.

Why would they not inflate the figures on this?

They fucking buy 200 dollar rolls of toilet paper in the Army...single ply and I would bet money the butt wipe factory is owned by some senators home boy or brother in law.

What about the the 7,000 dollar body armor that a civilian can buy for 800 bucks?

No inflated price tags there.....

The US government is the BIGGEST waster of money on planet earth.

Are you able to draw a distinction between the US government and the state of Texas?

Because the latter is what the OP takes issue with.

 

[Frizzle_Fry]

I surmised that people in TX don't pay taxes of any sort, hence why the OP made the case that the Fund operated at the detriment to TX' school system.

Once someone confirms this for me, I may very well want to move there.

No income tax but you will pay in property tax, sin tax etc...

So they spent 400 million to bring in 14 billion and thousands of jobs and you have a problem with this?

we don't have 400 million to spend......where is it coming from? We allready blew billions on other bullshit like putting illegal immigrants through our public school system.

As far as bringing jobs and billions to TX they said the same thing about the F1 track here in austin....that went well multi billion dollar shit spray on the sheets is what we got.

 

[Frizzle_Fry]

Are you able to draw a distinction between the US government and the state of Texas?

Because the latter is what the OP takes issue with.

Yes...because TX gov. is exempt for wasteful spending....like 35 million dollar HS campus's and football stadiums for High Schools who don't even have enough kids for said football team, much less the tax base to keep the lights on. Fantastic investment wouldn't you say?

 

[islandman]

Yes...because TX gov. is exempt for wasteful spending....like 35 million dollar HS campus's and football stadiums for High Schools who don't even have enough kids for said football team, much less the tax base to keep the lights on. Fantastic investment wouldn't you say?

I'm not fighting for or against the OP's point. I'm merely pointing out that when your ROI is positive - especially so when it is incremental to the tax base - it's a good thing.

And $1.8M for 400 jobs (according to CGI's press release) is an ROI most would do all day every day.

 

[JuanVato]

double post, sorry

 

[Frizzle_Fry]

I'm not fighting for or against the OP's point. I'm merely pointing out that when your ROI is positive - especially so when it is incremental to the tax base - it's a good thing.

And $1.8M for 400 jobs (according to CGI's press release) is an ROI most would do all day every day.

Wouldn't it be easier if they would quit being so hostile towards actual Texans doing business? It cost thousands in permits licencing etc.(taxes to pay everyone else's way) just to open the doors to a lemon-aid stand here.

Why are we paying non residents and foreign investors to move business here at the expense of Texans?

Why dose a Texan have to hock over thousands to the state but a non resident get paid?

What dose a Texan have to hock up 30+ thousand a year to attend a Texas school they already paid for via taxes while illegals get a free ride for being illegal?

 

[JuanVato]

I don't see it referenced in the press release you linked that the Canadian company was given the funds over another company or, for that matter, that CGI needs those funds to stay in business.

Now that would be picking winners and losers.


Perhaps I'm missing something?


Also, if there's never been an independent audit, on what basis can you make the claim that "and have been found to be like most government figures-inflated."?

Nope.
There could have been and could be other companies that do not get handouts or grants.
Since the process is closed, then we will just have to "trust them."

Again, the government should not be handing out cash grants at all.

You can google the investigative journalists who have published articles calling into question the job creation figures. WAMU, Sematech, and Countrywide Financial Corp have all gotten some pork from this.

Here is the Sematch story:
http://www.examiner.com/public-policy-in-dallas/sematech-inc-takes-texas-for-a-ride-gets-40-million-grant-and-moves-to-new-york

You are smart enough to know what happened to WAMU and Countrywide.

And here is a story from Forbes on how the TEF job creation claims are inflated.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2011/10/11/a-closer-look-at-rick-perrys-job-creation-claims/

 

[islandman]

Nope.
Again, the government should not be handing out cash grants at all.

You can google the investigative journalists who have published articles calling into question the job creation figures. WAMU, Sematech, and Facebook have all gotten some pork from this.

Here is the Sematch story:
http://www.examiner.com/public-policy-in-dallas/sematech-inc-takes-texas-for-a-ride-gets-40-million-grant-and-moves-to-new-york

And here is a story from Forbes on how the TEF job creation claims are inflated.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2011/10/11/a-closer-look-at-rick-perrys-job-creation-claims/

The only way Forbes writes that article is by auditing the fund's financials. And since Perry doesn't own Forbes, well, you get the idea.

As for the rest, you know Perry's track record better than me. Still, it doesn't make much sense to me to cry foul when you don't know by what factor the 400 jobs are inflated. Say it cost the Fund 4X more than what Perry is claiming - about $5K/job to $20K/job - then that's still a positive ROI for TX. Of course, I assume that those jobs are earning more than $20K/year, which I don't think is an unfair assumption.

 

[JuanVato]

but then again...

Are you able to draw a distinction between the US government and the state of Texas?

Because the latter is what the OP takes issue with.

Yes...for now.

State governments are a smaller, poorer version of the federal government.
Most career politicos study at the state level, then "graduate" the national level where funds are bigger, the burearucRATS are more powerful, and having their name on something gives them the big "O."

 

[semen4her]

Wouldn't it be easier if they would quit being so hostile towards actual Texans doing business? It cost thousands in permits licencing etc.(taxes to pay everyone else's way) just to open the doors to a lemon-aid stand here.

Why are we paying non residents and foreign investors to move business here at the expense of Texans?

Why dose a Texan have to hock over thousands to the state but a non resident get paid?

What dose a Texan have to hock up 30+ thousand a year to attend a Texas school they already paid for via taxes while illegals get a free ride for being illegal?

Take up arms and man the border, skippy.

 

[JuanVato]

T Still, it doesn't make much sense to me to cry foul when you don't know by what factor the 400 jobs are inflated. Say it cost the Fund 4X more than what Perry is claiming - about $5K/job to $20K/job - then that's still a positive ROI for TX. Of course, I assume that those jobs are earning more than $20K/year, which I don't think is an unfair assumption.

It all comes down to "do you trust government and what they tell you."

You do, I don't.

 

[islandman]

It all comes down to "do you trust government and what they tell you."

You do, I don't.

No, I'm willing to question. Your decision was made well before you started this thread.

That's unfortunate, but that's a you problem.