Monday, October 25, 2010

F-35 - boon or boondoogle?

Here's the coverage of Goyle's Friday press conference going after Pompeo about the F-35 engine project. I tried to nail down just how sure people are that some work would be done locally if GE got this project, but it doesn't seem like anybody knows for sure.

It's an interesting issue, because this is the dilemma of the washington politician — do you stand up for companies and interests in your district, even if that contradict your general philosophy?

Todd Tiahrt, a crusader against government size, spending and influence, was for this project. Tiahrt was pretty adept, as a member of the House appropriations committee, at funding projects for his district while at the same time projecting a spend-thrift image.

Can you fault Pompeo for sticking to his conservative values on this, even thought it appears to run counter the interests of the district? Also, there appears to be a good argument that spending money on a competing engine now will save billions more in the long run.

Goyle has TV ads going that continue to attack Pompeo on outsourcing. As I've mentioned earlier, I'm not sure these attacks are fully justified. Did Pompeo actually take away a Kansas job and replace it with a job in a foreign country? Haven't seen evidence of that.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pompeo has explained the jobs created in Mexico many many times. None of them were taken away from Americans. This is pure desperation on Goyles part, and most people can see it for what it is. Why doesn't Goyle just run on his record and accomplishments?

Oh yeah.

Anonymous said...

Duplicity: Interesting that a candidate can "explain" taking jobs to Mexico if you are already supportive of him. A job is a job.

You have one job. You can either place the worker in the USor you can place it in an under-developed country where the labor is much cheaper and the regulations are more liberal or non-existent.

If you put the job in Mexico, how is that NOT one job taken away from here?

Double speak. We really love double speak and disregard the truth.

Anonymous said...

It was part of a business deal. Research it. i don't have time to hold your hand.

Anonymous said...

That's profound and intellectual. It was part of a business deal?

Of course!!!! That's what the grievance is. Business deals that move jobs to another country are business deals that take jobs out of THIS COUNTRY!!!!

Of course they are business deals Mr. Potato Head. They are business deals that bleach dollars away from idled workers in this country and actually do more to bankrupt the nation than any administrative plan. But they are the same business deals as the ones that used to result in a BUSINESS building a plant within our nation's borders.

We are bankrupting America not because of government spending. We are bankrupting because of business deals made by greedy businessmen that result in moving the wealth of the nation to foreign soil.

Duh. Big red truck.

Anonymous said...

I said research it for yourself so I wouldn't have to spoon-feed you, but it appears I will have to anyway.

From The Topeka Capital Journal:

http://cjonline.com/news/state/2010-08-28/high_flying_feud_over_jobs

"Pompeo, who has secured endorsements from executives at Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier Learjet and Spirit AeroSystems, said Thayer Aerospace didn't relocate Kansas jobs to Mexico while he led the company. In 2006, a private equity firm took over Thayer Aerospace and renamed the company Nex-Tech Aerospace.

"I never moved a single job to Mexico," Pompeo said.

The Wichita businessman said the 2003 arrangement with an undisclosed partner, which already had a plant in Mexicali, added 40 jobs in the United States and created 20 jobs in Mexico. The Baja city of Mexicali is marketed to U.S. corporations eager to operate in countries with lower labor costs.

Some Thayer Aerospace equipment was moved from Wichita to the new plant in Mexicali for the manufacture of metal parts. Nex-Tech still operates the Mexicali facility in an industrial park near the U.S. border fence.

"In a successful effort to create dozens of new jobs here in Wichita, I did, as our customer required my company to do, set up a new shop in Mexico," Pompeo said.

During a March speech at Southwestern College, Pompeo said the arrangement reflected the international flavor of aircraft manufacturing.

"We didn't do it just for the jobs," he said. "No company does that. But when I think about why those jobs were in Mexico, why that customer had built its plant there, it's all about global competition."

Big red truck, or no big red truck, you should be able to understand that.

Anonymous said...

While we are airing candidate Pompao's defenses, anyone care to share their thoughts about him both vilifying the stimulus money from the Obama Administration and taking it at the same time.

What will be the explanation for that? Another "Just Business"?

Honestly, it is just business to use available funds to keep existing jobs or create new ones to boost the ecnomy.

On the other hand, it is reprehensible to campaign against it, making you gullible voters think that the stimulus is wrong while the stimulus in alive and vibrating inside his pocket.

Wake up people!

Anonymous said...

4:10 PM,

You can lead a lib to the truth, but you can't make 'em think.

Anonymous said...

to anonymous @ 4:10....I had read that article before also. It really cleared a lot of things up. But please realize the people you are trying to explain the why's and how's and what it did for the US (netted more jobs) will never understand simple math. They only want to listen and believe the desperation and exaggeration of the Goyle campaign.

Anonymous said...

In 2006, a private equity firm took over Thayer Aerospace and renamed the company Nex-Tech Aerospace.


Spoon feed me. And remember to pinch my nose so that I will swallow the poison partisan rhetoric you are serving.

I don't buy it. Also, I guess I am really confused because most (not all though) of my early voting ballot selections were "rational" R candidates. I also voted for the current Congressional Representative, Tiarht.

That makes me a liberal by your standards because I don't willingly and blindly swallow the misleading information as you do.

Pompeo just doesn't slice it for me. Hey maybe I am neither a liberal or a conservative.

Maybe I am someone who just really pays attention and won't waste a vote on anyone who pledges to go and perpetuate partisan bickering which includes wasting tons of tax dollars to negate existing programs for simple political ideological opposition.

But go ahead and pick him. Elect him. Whether he is telling the truth or not, whether he has committed to serving SC Kansas or not just put him in because he's red.

Then you can spend your intelligent conservative next several years explaining away disservice to the citizens. I am sure you will create an alibi for his non-performance.

Anonymous said...

Even when you are spoon-fed, you still refuse to accept it. That is the very definition of partisan. Go ahead and waste a vote on Goyle.

"Maybe I am someone who just really pays attention and won't waste a vote on anyone who pledges to go and perpetuate partisan bickering which includes wasting tons of tax dollars to negate existing programs for simple political ideological opposition."


I can only assume that you are talkimg about repealing Obamacare, and I am all for "wasting" whatever time it takes to make that happen. As for the future, and how he will perform, I think I will wait and see. Unless you'd like to loan me your crystal ball. You seem to know so much about the future, you must have one.

I can tell you that if the Republicans who are elected in this cycle do not keep their promises, they will be held to the same standards that the dems who are getting kicked out on their fannies in this election.

Anonymous said...

You called that one 4:13 AM. lol They cannot accept the truth if you smack them upside the head with it. They will believe Maddow and Olbermann though.

Unbelievable.

Anonymous said...

Goyle went negative on the side of his Arkalalah "float". Desperation, or just plain old fashioned tacky?

Anonymous said...

I think you don't like Goyle. If you don't like someone, you pretty see and hear everything as negative.

But, I am caving in. I will vote for Pompay simply because we don't in Ark City care about the GE matter. Also, because we in Ark City don't care about people who need but cannot afford health care.
I am changing from Goyle to Pompay because it doesn't matter if he never returns here to meet us or hear our concerns in Ark City.

I am voting for him mostly because we need more white men in DC leading our country and saving us from evil black men with non-traditional names.

We always knew that, given an opportunity, those people would ruin our country. Never mind what we have conquered and built and established in 225years. Those people can destroy it all in 20 months.


That is what Pompay is saying and why he has my vote. He will protect this fragile nation (guess we really weren't a super power if we can be taken down internally in a few months) and preserve it for our children and not hand it over to "them" and you know who I am talking about.

Anonymous said...

I saw the negative signs against Pompeoo on the side of Goyle's truck. Isn't that against the rules of Arkalalah?

Anonymous said...

Let's just hope we don't get any negative signs from Congressman Pompeo.

I am genuinely worried that the population underserved by healthcare don't get slapped in the face. I fear that will be the casualty as the upstart Congress tries to undo the President's agenda at the expense of the citizens.

The people audibly complaining aren't hurting. The people hurting may be complaining but are typically casts in the light of losers whose plight is their own fault.

Again, I would encourage you all to poll Cowley County employers and learn how many do not provide health care. How many cannot offer a more competitive wage because of health care costs. How many are threatened with closing their doors because of unaffordable healthcare for their workers.

Take the City of Arkansas City for example. We owned a hospital and thereby could subsidize health care for employees. Wages are lower than most municipalities in Kansas but it was a real offset when the City could manage medical services to its employees through its own muni hospital.

The new "for profit" will certainly not bea ble to do this and survive. We will likely see the City charge the employees much more for insurance, increase taxes to bridge the gap or further supress wages.

Meanwhile, we will celebrate the feud against the President.