While the Iowa Senate bent over and approved an insane tax giveaway to (shhhhhhhh!) Google in order to entice them to build some data center in Council Bluffs, here is a story from the Charlotte Observer via ZDNet's blogs on how Google treated lawmakers in North Carolina:
Google tried to silence lawmakers and pushed, at times with a heavy hand, to influence legislation designed to bring the company to Caldwell County.
The company demanded that legislators never speak its name, and had them scolded when word of its interest in North Carolina leaked out, according to records made public this week.
As work proceeded on the bill to remove much of its tax burden, Google threatened to end negotiations because legislative staff didn't write exactly what it wanted. State Commerce Secretary Jim Fain was asked to "prevail upon" the bill writer.
Indeed, the first set of state documents released from the 13-month negotiations reveal a company obsessed with secrecy and not above bullying, tactics that helped get it tax breaks that could top $100 million over three decades.
"I sort of had to work in the dark," said Sen. Jim Jacumin, a Republican who represents Caldwell County. "That bothered me. They need to respect the laws of the land, even if they're business."
It appears that Google's butt-licking boy in Iowa was Waterloo Democrat Bill Dotzler, the corrupt idiot who still thinks giving away shitloads of taxpayer money to con man David Oman is a good idea.
Want to know why your property taxes are going through the roof, Iowa? It's because of the pro-corporate welfare, bought-and-paid-for, and crooked politicians in the Iowa Legislature. They exist on BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.
Related: I'm Shocked SHOCKED To Find That Many Out Of State Corporations Don't Have To Pay Property Taxes In Iowa
Update: I got an email from a clearly Democrat-siding reader asking about whether any members of the Iowa GOP are working on rights legislation or campaign finance reform. Like I would know. All I know about the Iowa GOP is that they're a bunch of spineless corporate welfare enthusiasts or bank robbers who take money from mob-affiliated companies that prey upon the stupid poor. As far as I'm concerned, the only somewhat sane fiscal conservative in the Iowa Legislature in recent years was Ed Fallon, but he no longer holds a seat. Don't go off on me about Fallon's socialized medicine desires. You already have the State (and Feds) paying the medical bills of the poor/poor children. Regifting socialized medicine into a neat little marketing package is a far different astral plane than letting big companies opt out of paying their fair share of property and other taxes or giving away tax break packages left and right to finance risky schemes that the private sector won't smell. The only positive thing I can say about the GOP (and this is while holding my nose and wallet simultaneously) is that they occasionally are interested, when in power, in lowering income tax rates for all. Democrats can't even handle that. When was the last time in recent history the Democrats ever proposed lower tax rates? Never, that's when. And Project Destiny doesn't count because it's a tax increase on everybody, especially the poor.
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