Jackson Jambalaya

I smell beef plant!

We are so stupid. This went through very quickly not giving the public much information about this project. Looks like we got screwed again and there is no way, the average salary will be 93000$ per employee! Just what I call the good ole Mississippi two step. I wonder who owns the land? Who will get the contracts? How many years will it take for the state to get its money back? Etc etc bla bla.

Bend over taxpayers

No good news goes unpunished amongst the JJ curmudgeons.

The first three posts brought to you by (and funded through) "The Mississippi Institiute of Ill-Informed and Otherwise Ignorant Citizens".

This group of stellar citizens, all of whom drive Super Duty, Lifted, Heavy-Duty Pick(em)Up models less than two years old, have all been trained in the art of spotting state boondoggles while possessing only either a GED or a Parchman Right To Work Permit.

The group is bonded and registered out from Pelahatchie. How far out, you might ask? I'll be damned if I know. They skipped that question on the paperwork.

Hey 4:48 if you really were interested in knowing the answers to the 'questions' you raised (or were they assumptions you tried to pose to look like questions) - you could have listened to the discussion and debate on the two legislative floors today and you could have gotten that information.

And you would have learned that this is an expansion of an existing company already located on the site. And you could have learned what the salaries and the employment numbers of that company have proven to be.

Yes, "the public" did not get much advance notice or detail about this project - because businesses don't spread that kind of news in advance of the deal being done. You wouldn't know this because when you are taking orders at the McDonald's window you don't get a chance to be introduced into $2.5 billion deals but once every month or two.

Much of the land is already owned by Lowndes County - its part of the Mega site where many many other large manufacturing operations have located over the past two decades. This project though will require more land than is currently owned at this part of the site, and those adjoining landowners happen to be the folks who are lucky enough (or purchased a while back adjoining property as an investment waiting for the Mega site to need expansion). Part of the land is 16th Section, therefore owned by the School District and they will be swapping that land for other properties. Again, you would have known this if you really were interested and did a little listening, rather than putting down the mop and typing away at a keyboard to bitch.

Thanks for your insight; and we are sure you won't be interested in getting one of these $93,000 a year jobs since you don't believe such a thing exists.

Socialism good!
We China now!

Hope it's not like the KiOR debacle.

Ah, good ole corporate welfare. The socialist republicans come out of the woodworks for their corporate donors, appearances be damned!

Typically, private sector entities are much less gullible than their counterparts.

5:12 pm

I agree with you totally!

When Congress passed the ACA no one needed to know anything other than how the vote went!

I am sure you agree that the people who are in charge know better than us!

You are so kewl! Hard to believe there are so many Obama care fans on here! Yay!

Also you noted that there is “some” land left to buy….hmmmm….who owned that and got paid? I think you just forgot to post the owners and the amount paid! I’m sure it was a typo!

Anyhoo….I’m glad the tanf stealing honest group in charge just rammed a 2.5 billllion dollar project down our happy throats!

If you like your aluminum plant payments you can keep your aluminum plant payments

Are there State oversight committees to watch MS public "investment" and issue approvals and reports? I'd like the white stetson topped (Marshall) Gipson to oversee this, even if out of his department. I trust him.

Supertalk been promoting it all day long. WYAB been blasting it all day long. You can tell which station takes state funds.

If Y’all Politics is promoting it, you know the swamp paid them to.

How much will this cost the taxpayers, kingfish?

Very good explanation 5:12. I doubt though that they understood or even comprehended your response!

Some of these commenters are asinine, hopefully this is as presented but- there's no reason to inject Pelehatchie into this conversation. They have a New Mayor & peace in Town

@5:12 Amen. People commenting, "another beef plant..." READ the release issued. SDI acquired Severstal in 2014, and the company has continued to invest in those operations through expansions and job creation. Company has a proven track record, and this is a great win for Mississippi and the GTR. Can't win for losing around here. If this project went somewhere else, "WAHH WAHHH why couldn't Mississippi have gotten this?!"

I’m not against economic development. I’m against incompetent people who can’t get a job in the real world spending my money on economic development. Especially the PhD’s

I’ll agree we have had some real failures. However the best industrial development guy in the state runs the Golden Triangle. As far as I know he hasn’t had a loser. Sounds like a positive plan to me.

"Supertalk been promoting it all day long. WYAB been blasting it all day long. You can tell which station takes state funds."

I've never understood why WYAB makes a big deal about Supertalk accepting State funds.
Both are conservative platforms. And if Supertalk doesn't take the money, another network will.

Supertalk is statewide. It's basic FM signal goes into surrounding states.
WYAB only has a strong signal around Pocahontas & Flora, but fades out a few miles south of Canton.

But yeah, I too hope this project is not another "Beef Plant".

I hear this company is against fossil fuels. How in the hell are they going transport their product to market? By horse and buggy?

7:54 - Oh no the state is going to run a aluminum plant, exactly like they tried to run a beef plant.

Oh, wait. They're not. So, the state is going to build a few interchanges so 18 wheelers can get on the road easier?

This is horrible and exactly like the failed beef plant. Oh wait, this is an existing Mississippi company that is expanding? Well they should have bought land that already had 3 interchanges. Wait, what? That doesn't exist? Oh no. Well there is no way that the state should provide adequate access to highways for a 2.5 billion plant.

At least we can all agree on that. Right?

If all goes well, we might get another volleyball stadium out of this pork project.

Picking winners and losers, one greased palm at a time.

Alabama says thank you.

Madison County says thank you for not building it here.

Whatever happened to that big econ development on the coast that the taxpayers paid for?

Congratulations to Joe Max Higgins and the leadership of his regional economic development group. Well done.

Why be so quiet about such a good deal?

I promise you if this were such a good deal Alabama would be upset…..they are not.

Now MS gets to live with yet another mess brought to you by the folks who don’t know a damn thing about economic development …..hell that’s what tate ran on!

Now he’s some guru? He’s been in state govt for 20 plus years and nothing has changed….zero! In fact….it’s worse!

And ppl wonder why the smart people exit Mississippi…..no they don’t

Another state would have gotten this project if we had not acted. If we break even on the incintives then people working, homes built, sales tax will make up for that. Wake up, anything like this is better in the long run for us.

This is 448 and you’ve been trolled! Next time you grab the low hanging fruit better check for the worms!

Part of Commenters earlier posted:

WYAB and Supertalk

“Both are conservative platforms.”

That’s a good one!

Roflmao

Anybody vote against? Anybody even bother to ready the details?

The king has ruled.

Subjects get back to work and question him no more

How's that Continental Tire plant working out? I'm asking because I honestly don't know and don't want to do the legwork myself.

Gotta love the negative Nancys. Just pissing on something they don't even bother to read the facts about. I have to assume they are Democrats, because that is the common theme of the entire Democratic Party today. Lie, obfuscate and pass something in order to know whats in it, then complain when something good gets passed that economically improves.

It sure is nice having our state government showing us how to throw away money. Somebody is getting rich off of this ephemeral scheme!

The next project will be a new JSU stadium, and of course paid for by all Mississippians. But that would require a well and water treatment plant, passable streets, and maybe some hotels that are safe and liveable.

"Mississippi Legislature approved financial assistance for the project"
What amount of money? What amount of tax breaks, and for how long? What specific financial assistance is the State (taxpayers) providing for this project?

$247,000,000 divided by 1,000 jobs = $247,000 per job

Quarter of a Billion while our hospitals are failing.

WTH? Alabama has nothing to do with this. This is an expansion of an existing business.

Huge win for economic development that an existing company wants to actually stay in a State where people complain about them re-investing here.

Sounds like Foxconn in Wisconsni.

Bomgar (R-Marijuanaville) voted 'No'.

6:39
Not Tates idea It’s Joe Max Higgins . I know you would not bother looking him up as you are the smartest man in the room.

Once upon a time, businesses with a good plan borrowed from banks and individual investors or sold stock.
They did not get tax dollars.

It was called capitalism.

The history of "joint ventures" in that once upon a time America isn't good in return of tax revenues which are used for infrastructure.
In that once magical land, we used tax dollars for public hospitals to lower costs of health care, for education, treatment for those with mental illness,retirement homes for the aged and infrastructure. Now, education costs and treatment for mental health and retirement homes were turned into businesses to be " more efficient". Only that's NOT what has happened. Businesses must have profits which is easy if you take away the costs once associated with business.
Once upon a time (1985) a 20% profit was considered a successful business and customers were an asset that was quantified.Today we are seeing 1000% profits. That's understandable when there are no costs of doing business.
Some of us learned about and still remember how business and banks and school and government worked when it worked well. But,now government just gives away all our resources and assets and then lets the billionaires pay 1% in personal tax (your hero Elon Musk).
Have you seen what taxes are paid to Mississippi in a year with an income of $93000?...
fo a single guy,$4000. That's $40000 a year to Mississippi and his take home is actually $68000.
So, it'll take quite a while to see us get our "investment" back.
Now, are you assuming that these are people who are currently unemployed or leaving lower paying jobs? If they are leaving lower paying jobs, you have to subtract what they had been paying.
The " bottom line" is government in a capitalistic country didn't and shouldn't subsidize other than essential businesses and that should be done with tax breaks/incentives and other means, not in startup costs.
But, quite a few lucky owners of land and supporting businesses will get richer.

When I was growing up you had to foot the bill if you were going into business. The state did not foot the bill. When did all of that change?

We have companies that demand their customers pay for the expansion before it is built {power companies) and we have companies who demand the state pay for their start ups.

What the hell is going on? Who came up with the stupid idea that the state or the people would pay for someone else going into business?

9:30
So, under your math the at profit company will be handing out the full State investment to only employees and not use it to invest in buildings/land/machinery? Come on man

93k avg salary for working at a aluminum plant? I doubt that.

11:19....the majority of the cost is forbearance on taxes for a certain number of years. Taxes that would not ever be collected in the first place if the business didn't come here. And the next biggest cost is the cost of infrastructure improvement....infrastructure that the general public gets to use such as improved interchanges and widened roads. Nobody is handing the business anything.

12:49 PM, if I remember right the shipyard in Pascagoula got one of those deals. They were supposed to start paying taxes in a certain number of years. But there must have been a misunderstanding as they never started paying taxes.

12:24 - it's possible. The 'management' and 'consultants' can make millions and millions ... average it all out and that's how they get the numbers. Traitor Tot would steal from his mother. A RINO all the way.

@ 10:44 - "Have you seen what taxes are paid to Mississippi in a year with an income of $93000?...
fo (sic) a single guy,$4000. That's $40000 a year to Mississippi and his take home is actually $68000."

Might wanna try that again.

From the MS Freedom Caucus, the rest of the story.

"Yesterday, in less than 5 hours with little to no debate, the Mississippi legislature gave away $250 million of your money to an undisclosed company.

This project uses millions of tax payer dollars, including cash and compensation to the company , a 15-year exemption of corporate income taxes, and exemption from sales and use taxes. It pays the company back 3.5% of the gross payroll for 10 years and it allows the company to pay for employees’ moving expenses from other states.

This is not acceptable to business owners and job creators in Mississippi who do not benefit from any of these carve-outs. Republicans claim during elections that small businesses are the engine that drives our economy, but their actions are always in favor of the large corporations. Mississippi has been giving money away for "economic development" since 1936 and we are still in last place economically. We must stop corporate welfare and focus on real economic growth. If we focused on building a climate that businesses wanted, we would not have to bribe them with taxpayers' hard-earned money.

Corporate welfare is not good for the taxpayers but is part of the “good ole boys’” system that makes so many people distrust government.

I am proud to say that the Mississippi Freedom Caucus stood fast against the establishment and voted in support of Mississippi's small business owners and taxpayers. With your help, thousands of emails were sent to the Governor and legislators opposing, behind the scenes, backdoor give-away deals."

I’m not big on the corporate welfare programs and Mississippi didn’t invent them either, so if you want to keep up you have to play the cards by the rules of the game. Now a company is about to spend 2.5 billion dollars there will be a whole lot of Mississippi small businesses are able to get business off of just the construction alone, after that others will continue to service it in others ways. I saw it with Nissan and already seeing it with Amazon.