Thursday, October 27, 2011

A Cynical Translation . . .

Economic council completes draft plan for state competition
The Mohawk Valley’s Regional Economic Development Council . . . submitted a draft summary of its strategic plan Wednesday to state officials. . . .
Once finalized, the Mohawk Valley’s plan will compete with plans from nine other regions in the state for the massive pot of economic development funds.
Although the regional plan is still under wraps, the article reveals several "strategies" which are listed below -- along with a cynical translation of what they probably really mean.

(1) "Leveraging existing businesses that have potential for high growth."
Cynical Translation: "Giving taxpayer money to businesses that are politically connected."

(2) "Increasing the supply of skilled workers to meet employer demands."
Cynical Translation: "Using taxpayer money to train people for businesses that are politically connected."
Alternate Cynical Translation: "Using taxpayer money to hire politically connected instructors to train people for jobs that don't exist locally."

(3) "Fostering a culture of investment and entrepreneurship."
Cynical Translation: (Ditto number one above) (If there was real interest in these things the state would lower taxes and regulate less.)

(4) "Modernizing local systems of government, possibly through consolidation."
Cynical Translation: "Remove control of local systems of government from the taxpayers that pay for them."

Sorry to be cynical, but when I read the words, their translations automatically came to mind. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sadly, most of this money will be wasted. The most important component of business creation and development is private venture capital to launch start ups or spin offs. We do not have it here.