More economic leakage wherein public tax investments are “leaked” out of the main flow, reducing the money available to the local economy.
Investigation: Stimulus funds in Oregon paid foreign workers
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 05:02AM
PORTLAND — A federal investigation found that at least $7 million in federal stimulus money intended to provide jobs for unemployed Oregonians instead paid wages to 254 foreign workers.
The money went for forest cleanup jobs in Central Oregon in 2009 when unemployment was over 11 percent, the Oregonian reported.
Contractors told federal regulators they could not find enough local workers for the jobs and brought in foreign workers.
A report this week from the Labor Department’s inspector general found the contractors used legal loopholes but violated no laws or regulations.
Congressman Peter DeFazio, who asked for the investigation, said it’s “obscene that U.S. companies were rewarded for abusing our American workers and immigration laws to undercut competition and squeeze more profits out of contracts.”
Copyright © 2011 — The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA
[hat tip/dragon]
“Their Game”, is the only game in town for most folks, they either live off it, via a job that depends of some form of tax dollars, or they milk the system by sitting on top of those same employees, who are too scared to tell what they know, and I cant blame them for their silence trying to survive, when it is just getting worse for their neighbors, who will continue to flounder in this economic environment.
I would like to see the day when your family could buy a ticket on the Coos Bay Maglev train, and on your hour long trip to Eugene for a connection to the I-5 main line, the train delivers its latest load of materials, that arrived at the Port, from the worlds premier suppliers of Maglev train parts, to be assembled by american workers, with Coos Bay being the spear-head delivery terminal.
Oops sorry, I forgot we need that train line right-of-way for coal, gas, minerals, and a little bit of wood. Public dollars are best spent on supporting dying industries.
..
They only way to fix the problems is simply not to play their game. Do our own jobs plan and make it work while they flail around looking for ways to rip off economic development funds for their friends
“the contractors used legal loopholes but violated no laws or regulations”.
That’s one example of how “Crony Capitalism” works. Our system is so perverted by special interest money, that expects a return on their lobbying investment. That environment breeds corruption, and public awareness makes it doomed for failure.
Its not just Coos county, and the port, and the state of Oregon having this problem.
It will not be fixed by either party, both are permanently engaged to the same way of doing business.
A guy comes to town and asks the first old timer he see’s ”
Hey what are the people like in this town?
Well what were the people like where you came from?, asks the old guy.
He answers, they are all a$$holes.
Well their all gonna be a$$holes here as well, says the old timer.
There’s no where to go to fix the problems, they’re right with us.