Paying The Bosses

In today's News & Record, Don Campbell of nearby Siler City writes the following letter to the editor:

" In a recent Dilbert cartoon, the pointy-headed boss tells the employee that the plan is to make employees pay the employer for the privilege of working there. How is this different from our state, local or county governments offering financial “incentives” to companies to choose their area?

We’re told this brings much-needed jobs. But if we are paying through our tax dollars to entice companies to move, are we not paying them for the privilege of working for them? "

Don has an excellent point, we are paying the bosses for the "right" to work for them and in my book and the book of most Americans, liberal and conservative alike, we don't believe that's the way our system was intended to work. That's why Fish Man is proposing that the Downtown Greensboro Aquarium be designed as a new public-private partnership owned by the City of Greensboro, the citizens of Greensboro and others who buy stock in the company. We don't want incentives in-so-much as we want loans and the privilege of contributing to Greensboro's, Guilford County's and North Carolina's tax base. I mean, let's be real, if you're giving money away then Fish Man will gladly take a fin out but what I really want to do is swim to a local Greensboro bank and write checks to local employees, businesses and even tax departments.

After all, what is a fish going to do with all that money? Until you dummies learn how to properly bait a hook I've got all the fresh worms I can eat.

But seriously, folks, have you ever heard of a pro sports aquarium that packed up and left town because the wanted a newer stadium or an aquarium that took incentives then outsourced all its jobs as soon as the incentives ran out? You haven't heard of these things because they don't happen, nor will they happen if the City of Greensboro and the citizens of Greensboro invest and buy stock to build a Downtown Greensboro Aquarium.

Or, you can wait for the folks in charge of Greensboro to do things the way they have always done things. Click on the link to e-mail City Council and tell them to forget all about that silly GPAC thing. Tell them it won't float. Tell them you want to invest your money in a public/private downtown Greensboro Aquarium and bring real economic growth, jobs and prosperity to Greensboro. Tell them it just makes sense.

Tell 'em, Fish Man set you.