Voices: Hats off to Purgason

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July 30, 2010

By Rodney D. Lewis The Joplin Globe The Joplin Globe Fri Jul 30, 2010, 08:00 AM CDT

JOPLIN, Mo. — Hats off to Sen. Chuck Purgason, who filibustered the pending legislation to give the Ford Motor plant in Claycomo a $150,000,000 tax credit.

And shame on Rep. Marilyn Ruestman for supporting the corporate welfare scheme. Her rationale, that the tax credit would trickle down and was “worth the cost” to the taxpayer, is typical of what is wrong with our governments today.

Excuse me, Madam Representative, but who is going to make up the shortfall, but the rest of us taxpayers? Frankly, I’d rather keep the money in my own pocket so that I could directly benefit the businesses that I frequent in Joplin. In my opinion, businesses in Joplin deserve my money more than the Claycomo plant owners. Sen. Purgason was correct: It would have been better to provide a tax credit to everyone rather than for a small privileged few, who don’t even reside in Missouri. Rep. Ruestman, your vote “yes” was a vote to enrich a small handful of Ford stockholders at the expense of the rest of us in your district and in Missouri. Shame on you.

Rodney D. Lewis

Joplin

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Voices: Hats off to Purgason

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

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