IS IT TRUE August 7, 2012
IS IT TRUE the CCO has learned that the decision of the Whirlpool Corporation to close the Evansville facility that is the last surviving group of employees for a company that once employed over 10,000 tri-staters was not unexpected or even a surprise to elected officials and their surrogates in the economic development world?…the local entities with responsibility for job retention, attraction, and creation learned about this only a few minutes before the media was alerted that the closing decision was final?…the choice by Whirlpool to only give local officials whom they know personally a courtesy call as opposed to an opportunity to sit down and talk about this emphasizes the long suspected fact that Evansville and Whirlpool like a facade marriage quit listening to each other long ago?…we will hear things like “one-third of the employees will be retiring anyway†and “the design group had already gotten too small by attrition to sustain†and that these things may have factual basis?…the cold hard fact is that Whirlpool mentally moved out of Evansville long ago and has just taken a long time to gather their belongings?…this will be the end of a the last chapter in the life of a manufacturing based economy in River City?
IS IT TRUE that there were high hopes that the Whirlpool Design Center would be a catalyst for other design groups to form in Evansville to access the experience and talent of the Whirlpool team over time?…the dream for some was for a Midwest Engineering Center to grow on the north side with smart appliance capability to serve the appliance based giants like Whirlpool, GE, Samsung, LG, Bosch, etc?…this was a very achievable dream on August 28, 2009 when the idea was hatched in Innovation Pointe?…the steps needed were not taken, Whirlpool was not as enthused as they could have been, and the key ingredients of local funding and ambition never materialized?…we can chalk the losses of the these last 217 jobs at Whirlpool up to a long term bad relationship and local ambivalence?…the real tragedy is that the 300 jobs at the Whirlpool Design Center could have become the catalyst for ten or more design centers that would have employed over 1,000 educated engineering professionals if and only if local investment and ambition would have come together?
IS IT TRUE there is a small ray of hope that somewhere on the payroll at Whirlpool there is a small hyper talented group of people with ambition who will see their pink slips as liberating them from the yoke of corporate drudgery so they can start and entrepreneurial business and determine their own future?…there are those that will scoff at this but the reality is that there are world class engineers in that facility today who have the talent to make this happen?…we are not so sure about the ambition and the investment dollars that will be needed to actualize such a thing?…if this group is disbanded or relocated and no Evansville based Appliance design group formed from the remnants the “the refrigerator capital of the world†will have made the full transition to retail customers of refrigerators in two generations?
IS IT TRUE there is one thing for certain that local officials can and should do to see justice done and fairness prevail when it comes to Whirlpool?…that Mayor after Mayor and Council after Council has bent over and taken their whacks every time Whirlpool threatened to have a layoff?…Whirlpool has gotten incentive after incentive that they have not satisfied the requirements attached to the incentive?…the value of these incentives is well into the millions of dollars?…the State of Indiana has already recaptured many of the incentives that they extended to Whirlpool?…there is no defensible reason for the City of Evansville and GAGE not to be wearing Whirlpool out by whatever means is available to them to get our money back?…to be outmaneuvered and bullied the way the City of Evansville and its surrogates have by Whirlpool only happens to cowards and rubes?…if our elected and appointed leaders sit there like a bunch of bumps on a log and let Whirlpool get by without paying back the incentives they have not earned the message to every business that has shaken the City of Evansville down for incentives is that Evansville does not have the spine to enforce the provisions and defaults will not be held accountable?
IS IT TRUE it is with an encouraging spirit that the CCO admonishes Mayor Winnecke and GAGE president Debbie Dewey to muster the courage and go get the people of Evansville’s money back?…if they will not do this then this City will never again get off the ground from this latest aggressive punch in the mouth and will be thought of as CHICKENS FOREVER?
Lock the doors!!! Auction off whats left and throw in GAGE.
Joe Wallace great IIT!
You just scored a touchdown with your remarks.
Looks like it’s up to Dewey and the Mayor to stand up and be counted.
It’s my guess that the CCO and its mamy readers are going to hold you both accountable.
Mr. Mayor, please don’t give us your stupid “Chicken Fat” video as a call to take Whirlpool on.
A friend just ask me to pull the CCO and read “Is It True” today. Never heard of this paper before until today.
Wow, I’m blown away. What an outstanding read.
Looks like the CCO is forcing the elected officials to take a stand. I shall be watching!
Why can’t the local rag (Courier and Press) take a public stand like the CCO did today? Answer, little writing talent.
Weinzapfel, Lloyd, McDonald, and Vanderveer all need to be taken to the woodshed for a good flogging for the mess they have made of Evansville. Come on Winnecke, right the wrongs of this pack of fools and shake down artists. Get our money back. Get our honor back. It ain’t all about picking up garbage and making videos.
New Boss same as the old Boss!!! Cronies continue to be pawns of the power behinds!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here they are in all their yuppy glory, the movers and shakers of Yes! We Are the Chosen Few: http://www.facebook.com/UnifyOurCommunity#!/photo.php?fbid=487147954646548&set=a.487147681313242.123183.125472020814145&type=1&theater
Big crowd, huh? Free food, free drinks, just not for everybody. Sort of like the glory days of Freedom Festival’s Pagoda Parties and the Opus One Happy Hours.
I wonder how much money was shunted over from the Chamber slushy fund to pay for the free drinks and grub the Select Few enjoyed Saturday night at the Back Stage Bar & Grill.
I wonder how small business owners outside the city limits who pay Chamber dues feel about their hard earned money going to an effort that will raise their taxes. I bet you can get an ear full from the Knight Township business owners recently annexed into the city! Ask them what their new tax bills look like and how they now have to pay for EPD responses to their silent alarms.
Yes! For Immediate Expansion of the Urban District. Yes! For Higher Taxes on Business. Yes! For More Zoning Restrictions on Rural Lands. Yes! For Free Happy Hours for the We Are Special People Society.
Go here for all the glamour shots: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=487147954646548&set=a.487147681313242.123183.125472020814145&type=1&theater#!/UnifyOurCommunity
Not many supporters showed up, even for the free food.
This is why I’m against all incentives and shows of political favoritism for businesses. Lower taxes for EVERYONE, large and small, and fix the rate. Promote Evansville as a haven of limited government intervention and a large and diverse workforce. If a company demands special favors in order to locate here, maybe they just aren’t a good match for the people of Evansville.
After all, tax incentives and other shows of favor ultimately come out of the pockets of ALL citizens, not just the ones who directly benefit from a job at the business getting favors. This is not fair, and only foments political corruption. Why people still insist these special favors are necessary I don’t know.
Of course, this approach would also require the City to be good stewards of the money it did receive to remain solvent, which means no more ignoring future liabilities, maxing out credit cards, and tearing down surplus structures to build more parks it can’t afford.
I can’t believe it, but I just agreed with everything you said. 🙂
Most people find they are really libertarians when they stop and think about their true beliefs without emotion.
In all fairness it was the Democrat Mayors and City Council that kept handing incentives to Whirlpool and cowering when Whirlpool broke their part of the bargain. Whirlpool was union. These damn Democrats that ran Evansville were taking money out of the pockets of non-union people in other companies and handing it to the union employees of Whirlpool in exchange for union votes. Taking from $10 per hour workers to subsidize $16 per hour workers is despicable and tells us something about the soul of Evansville. At least the $10 per hour people who were every bit as unskilled as the spoiled brats from Whirlpool still have a job.
You can’t blame only Democrats. If we’re going to have a real debate about the virtues and vices of special favors from government, we have to be willing to indict BOTH parties equally on that front.
In Evansville that I explicitly referred to, you can absolutely blame Democrats as they have been in absolute power since the 70’s. On a national level I agree with you wholeheartedly. Tar and feathers for all.
I hope you are trying to raise a family on $10 an hour. It’s damn hard to do.
Totally agree, it’s hard but some families are making it. The ones making $10 and struggling are the ones we need to give a boost. Support and encouragement to the struggling. I have no clue about what to do with the entitlement class.
You damn right it is hard to raise a family on $10 per hour. It is better than nothing though. Work is honorable at any rate of pay when you add value that is in line with your wage. The real travesty is that moochers can actually have a better lifestyle than an honest $10 an hour hard working laborer.
“was not unexpected”
So was it expected or not? Can’t tell from the double-negative
It was expected without any knowledge of when.
To the Genius Leaders of Evansville:
You have been given a city with a major river.
An adequate airport with room to grow.
Reasonable property rates for miles around.
A (for now) happy, industrious, stable, work force.
And you have been able to turn this into a failing, depressed area.
Nice work.
Open post to our Mayor to consider.
Step one for Mayor to salvage his administration is to encourage his Chief of Staff to put his application for the soon to be vacant job at Chamber. Then the Mayor should selects someone to replace him with personility, class, vision, trusting, public relations ability and excellent business skills.
The other road to success for the Mayor to consider
is as follows; send Debbie Dewey packing, stop stupid “Chicken Fat” videos and meanless press conferences about nothing, stop listening to Marsha Abell and your wife!
Lloyd,In case anyone hasn’t told so you so that your first 7 months in office was a complete failure!
Comments are closed.