At Monday night’s city council meeting, I was called on the carpet by one of the early members of the Cascade Economic Development Corp. for saying it has received $20,000 of city money every year. Which it has every year since 2016, a total of $120,000 of ordinary Joe’s tax money.
He apologized, when the City Administrator confirmed I was correct. Small consolation that hard-working folks’ money is being turned over to a private corporation, which doesn’t have open meetings and exists solely to benefit businesses—some of the wealthiest people in town.
These days, I am not the only person objecting business on the take. I was shocked to get my copy of The American Prospect this month and see: 1) an article on the damage our business relationship with China has done us, 2) one on Joe Biden’s unholy relationship with business in Delaware, and 3) one by economic analyst (Adam Tooze) containing the following quote:
“…special allowances for small to medium-sized businesses, which is a cuddly way of describing a large part of the most affluent groups in society: the owners of small and medium-sized businesses.”
He stopped short of identifying TIF and such gifts as one of the main sources of the huge transfer of wealth in American society responsible the polarization and diminishing middle class.
One of my serious objections to Mr. Henry’s candidacy is recalling his positive glee in discussing TIF at council when he was mayor—like a leprechaun who’d found his pot o’ gold! Likewise, I don’t trust Rausch and Delaney when it comes to gifties, ah free streets to Mike Beck, and reduced rate ones to Chad Demmer.
Next Tuesday, we’ll see how cutting edge Cascade is.
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