Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2014 13:00:10 -0400
From: “connectnc.net”
Subject: Chatham County economics
I received an email that challenged my conservative view and I read it and researched it and to keep this Chatham-centric I am applying what happened here in my community as simple explanation of what is happening nationally . Bear in mind to keep this as short as possible I am condensing it to as simple an explanation as I can . There is obviously more to it but the main point will be made . When democrats gained control before things changed in county government . The democrats put importance on things like parks , land use regulations , social services , schools all good things but they also made an environment not friendly to business by increasing taxes on commercial properties and business related things in general . There were a number of business owners who were upset with how the democrats were treating them . The general consensus with democrats was that since these owners were rich they could pay more .
First rule of home economics is you protect what’s yours and use your money as wisely and effectively as possible . Rich or poor that’s the golden rule to survival . These local business owners tried to make some progress with democratic lead government with no luck . Lee county at that time was trying to encourage business to build more jobs to put its unemployed to work with not just minimum wages jobs but skilled higher paying jobs . There was a local business near here that employed around 150 people . The owner was really fed up and when Lee county offered tax breaks and incentives to move his business there he did . Very few of his employees went with him when he moved putting most of the 150 out of work . The average wage of his employees was around $15 an hour at that time . If you round it off to 100 employees , 40 hours a week , 50 work weeks per year that translated to $3,000,000 million per year yanked out of the local Chatham County economy not counting property taxes on equipment that went with him and the loss of local money his business spent on everything from janitorial supplies to manufacturing materials used in his business . This was just one business and I counted at least ten I know of just in this part of the county that left . I know of one chicken farmer so fed up with property taxes he tore down some of his older houses and planted grass to save on his tax bill .
Its it a time honored tradition of humans to become nomads and move to greener pastures , rich or poor its a fact we all move to where we can enjoy life more for less . To expand this explanation a bit further then pull it back totally to Chatham here is what happens nationally when the taxes on the rich go up . There are many countries with little or no income taxes who open their arms to any business that wants to move there . The rich will move assets to these countries to protect their money . We have no control over that fact and liberals and democrats cant wrap their minds around the concept rich people put their money in safe places not necessarily in the USA . Its one thing they cant control with regulations and more taxes . When the rich move their assets and their money with their business outside the USA it sucks huge chunks of money right out of our economy meaning there is less money left to earn and spend here . It works the same way on a county basis . When you create an environment not conducive to industry and general business they move leaving a vacuum of less money in the local economy . Less money equals less jobs and that translates to less people spending money on Lattes and art exhibits , paintings and pottery and more struggling to buy food just to feed their kids . Thriving down town little coffee shops and art galleries will dry up and we will be left with empty buildings and an even less desirable place to live .
The other thing democrats aren’t saying anything about is the fact I made that other counties are creating environments that business will thrive in like Lee county . Chatham County is competing with these counties for that business and the jobs that come with it . We want that INCOME for our chathamites . The more we create an environment that business and industry can thrive in the more MONEY that will come into Chatham County . The more MONEY that is paid out in wages , tax revenue and purchases for supplies and services needed for local business will put more MONEY in the pockets of chathamites to spend on lattes , art , pottery and many more things that make life more enjoyable . The more our local economy grows the more tax revenue will be available to invest in schools , parks and land conservation . Its a controlled economic process that works . Simply put many Democrats want to try to do the process backwards ,, the cart pulling the horse instead of the horse pulling the cart . It just doesn’t work that way .
Do I think some rich are greedy ? Do I hate overdevelopment ? Do I feel we need parks and thriving down town areas ? Do I love the arts ? The answer to all of these questions is YES ! I understand the economics and the mind set of those who drive the economy , its not the rich but the rest of us who really drive the economy . We all want those things and to have them we have to allow people to be rich and keep what’s theirs . When we respect that they invest money locally and that puts money in everyone’s pockets so the whole process works . If you live somewhere your rents too high , your groceries are too expensive and you find a better place that’s cheaper you go there . We want Chatham County to be the place people go to instead of leave from . Goodnite Mark