AIG To Send Texas Jobs To The Philippines

Republicans have a very funny idea of "job creation". Consider the following. Here in one of the reddest areas (Amarillo) of one of the reddest states (Texas), our Republican leaders decided the city needed some job creation. In order to encourage that job creation, they gave AIG corporation a huge grant back in 2009 of $1.25 million and another grant last year of $530,000 -- all paid for with taxpayer money (a 1/2 cent "economic development" sales tax).

After receiving the 2009 grant, AIG (actually a subsidiary named Western National Life) moved 125 jobs from Houston to Amarillo. Last year's grant resulted in the same company moving 53 jobs from California to Amarillo. Now this doesn't sound like real "job creation" to me -- but just the shuffling of jobs from one American city to another American city to take advantage of free tax money given to the company by Republican officials. No new American jobs were actually created.

Now AIG is going to repay the generosity of Amarillo taxpayers, and American taxpayers (remember the billions of dollars the federal government gave AIG to keep them from going bankrupt a few years ago?) by shipping all the data processing jobs in Amarillo to the Philippines (where they can pay a much lower wage). They have assured the city that no jobs will be lost, since the current employees will be transferred to other jobs in the company. If you believe that, I have some ocean-front property here in Amarillo I'll sell you real cheap. Those jobs will be gone, either through attrition or layoffs, in the next year or two (because they are simply not necessary to the company's operation).

Personally, this doesn't sound like a very good deal for the taxpayers to me. After receiving billions of dollars from the federal government (under a Republican administration) and millions from the local government (and probably more from the state), AIG shuffles a few jobs from one place in America to another, and then outsources jobs to a foreign country. Does this sound like a good use of taxpayer funds to you?

Now the Republicans would like to reward this "job creation" by giving AIG and other corporations a huge new tax cut (and many Republicans don't want corporations to pay any taxes at all). As I said, the Republicans have a funny idea of what "job creation" is, and it's an idea this country can't afford. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing either the shuffling of jobs or the outsourcing of jobs.

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