Perry gives 1.4 Million to Facebook – he owns the TX media why not Facebook?
My reaction? This is NOT about economic development, this is about buying votes -when Perry is buying he’s being bought. The cronyism wheel of grants out and contributions in is enough to make one dizzy. The deal isn’t even sealed yet but the press is all over it. Why do you think this offer with its prediction of 200-600 jobs depending on the article you read, is getting this kind of play in the press, when in the past all of these “slush fund” deals have been under the radar? Slick Rick is buying votes with his slush fund and he thinks this announcement of new job creation will work in his favor in the polls. Of course no one stops to think about who will be hired and from where. If the new hires are out of work people in Texas that might make this opportunistic announcement a little more palatable but that will probably not be the case. Facebook will interview people from all over the country for these jobs and theoretically not one Texan could be hired. Regardless, votes are being bought with taxpayer money and I resent it. King Richard must go! Vote Debra Medina if you want honesty and fairness returned to Texas politics.
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today announced that the state will invest $1.4 million through the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) for Facebook to create a sales and operations office in Austin. This investment will create 200 jobs and more than $3.1 million in capital investment. The TEF funding is conditioned upon the finalization of a local incentive agreement with the City of Austin.
“The TEF continues to be a critical, deal closing tool for Texas, helping to attract jobs and businesses and grow our state’s diverse economy,” Gov. Perry said. “Facebook’s expansion in Austin will enhance the area’s robust technology industry, create 200 jobs for Texans, and strengthen the economy in Central Texas.”
Facebook is a social networking service that enables 400 million people around the world to communicate more efficiently with friends, family and coworkers in a trusted environment. This office represents the first major U.S. expansion outside of Palo Alto, Calif., where the company is headquartered.
“We’ve been exploring various options around the U.S. to establish an additional online sales and operations office and we’re grateful to the assistance we’ve received from the Governor’s office and the state’s leadership in discussing the possibilities in Austin,” Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said. “Facebook continues to grow and Austin, with its deep talent pool, would allow us to hire the high-caliber employees we need to properly serve the people, advertisers and developers that rely on our service.”
At Gov. Perry’s request, the legislature created the TEF in 2003 and re-appropriated funding in 2005, 2007 and 2009 to help ensure the growth of Texas businesses and create more jobs throughout the state. TEF projects must be approved by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House. The fund has since become one of the state’s most competitive tools to recruit and bolster business. To date, the TEF has invested more than $388.6 million and closed the deal on projects generating nearly 52,000 new jobs and more than $14.3 billion in capital investment in the state.
