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00:00:41,166 --> 00:00:43,252
[audience cheering, applauding]
2
00:00:46,255 --> 00:00:48,715
Boom!
3
00:00:49,925 --> 00:00:51,635
[grunting]
4
00:00:52,135 --> 00:00:53,971
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5
00:00:53,971 --> 00:00:57,015
Isn't that nice?
I like to pretend I have a live band.
6
00:00:57,099 --> 00:00:58,392
Bam!
7
00:00:58,392 --> 00:01:02,271
Thank you, Paul.
Good evening, my name is Jon Stewart.
8
00:01:02,271 --> 00:01:08,402
Tonight we begin with ostensibly
good news for the American workforce.
9
00:01:08,402 --> 00:01:10,612
American manufacturing is back.
10
00:01:10,696 --> 00:01:13,532
We're proving it's never,
ever, ever a good bet
11
00:01:13,532 --> 00:01:15,784
to bet against the American people.
12
00:01:17,411 --> 00:01:19,329
Okay.
-[audience laughs]
13
00:01:19,413 --> 00:01:21,206
If you are going to bet
against the American people,
14
00:01:21,290 --> 00:01:24,459
Draft Kings enter promo code "stew beef."
15
00:01:25,544 --> 00:01:27,379
First bet
against the American people is free.
16
00:01:27,379 --> 00:01:30,048
But props to America.
17
00:01:30,132 --> 00:01:32,134
We are expected to re-shore
18
00:01:32,134 --> 00:01:37,556
a record 350,000 manufacturing jobs
this year.
19
00:01:37,556 --> 00:01:42,686
So dust off them blue collars,
and get out them hard hats, 'cause it is...
20
00:01:43,562 --> 00:01:44,730
[stammers]
21
00:01:44,730 --> 00:01:47,900
Out of curiosity, where did
manufacturing jobs go in the first place?
22
00:01:47,900 --> 00:01:53,113
Because of globalization you had
manufacturing moving to other places.
23
00:01:53,197 --> 00:01:55,866
...where it's cheaper.
-...to be in a low-tax environment...
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00:01:55,866 --> 00:01:58,327
...with lower wages.
-They can take advantage of workers
25
00:01:58,327 --> 00:01:59,411
who don't have rights.
26
00:01:59,411 --> 00:02:04,833
They also have no real environmental
or labor protections,
27
00:02:04,917 --> 00:02:10,464
further undercutting American workers,
totally undercutting our workers.
28
00:02:10,464 --> 00:02:12,132
When Trump gives a speech I love it
29
00:02:12,216 --> 00:02:15,928
because it's as though
he's learning about it in real time with--
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00:02:15,928 --> 00:02:18,931
He's the speaker and the audience.
31
00:02:18,931 --> 00:02:21,975
It's like being with your grandmother
when she's reading the newspaper.
32
00:02:22,059 --> 00:02:25,604
"Oh, here's an interesting fact
in the Times-Picayune.
33
00:02:25,604 --> 00:02:28,482
Did you know some lobsters are blue?"
34
00:02:28,482 --> 00:02:31,109
[audience laughing, applauding]
35
00:02:31,193 --> 00:02:32,444
[indistinct] Thank you.
36
00:02:32,528 --> 00:02:33,487
But it's true.
37
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The last few decades of globalization
allowed corporations to scour the planet
38
00:02:40,369 --> 00:02:43,413
for the cheapest labor
and loosest regulations,
39
00:02:43,497 --> 00:02:45,374
devastating the working class.
40
00:02:45,374 --> 00:02:48,418
Capital is mobile, and workers less so.
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00:02:48,502 --> 00:02:52,756
Entire industries packed up and
abandoned the communities that built them.
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00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:57,469
The auto industry left
Michigan and Ohio for Mexico and China.
43
00:02:58,178 --> 00:03:02,140
Textile companies left North Carolina
for Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
44
00:03:02,933 --> 00:03:05,644
And heavy machinery manufacturer
Caterpillar
45
00:03:05,644 --> 00:03:07,938
shipped jobs from Illinois
to fucking-- wait, what?
46
00:03:07,938 --> 00:03:09,356
[audience laughing]
47
00:03:10,607 --> 00:03:13,443
They-- To Texas? They went to Texas?
48
00:03:15,612 --> 00:03:16,989
That can't be right.
49
00:03:16,989 --> 00:03:19,825
The good people of Caterpillar
have chosen Texas...
50
00:03:19,825 --> 00:03:22,411
What in yeehaw motherf-- What?
51
00:03:22,411 --> 00:03:23,996
[audience laughs]
52
00:03:23,996 --> 00:03:25,330
Texas.
53
00:03:25,831 --> 00:03:29,626
I guess that is
still technically America but--
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00:03:29,710 --> 00:03:33,172
Why-- why would Caterpillar
move its business to Texas,
55
00:03:33,172 --> 00:03:35,883
albeit very slowly
and probably during rush hour?
56
00:03:35,883 --> 00:03:38,760
I'm trying to get to the hospital
for fuck's sake!
57
00:03:41,096 --> 00:03:43,849
Maybe current Texas governor
Greg Abbott can explain.
58
00:03:43,849 --> 00:03:47,519
We have low taxes, reasonable regulations,
right-to-work laws.
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00:03:48,437 --> 00:03:50,063
I think I understand now.
60
00:03:50,647 --> 00:03:52,900
As China is to America,
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00:03:54,693 --> 00:03:56,653
Texas is... [chuckles] ...to Illinois.
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00:03:56,737 --> 00:03:57,988
[audience laughing]
63
00:03:59,531 --> 00:04:01,575
Now, if you don't speak
business euphemism,
64
00:04:01,575 --> 00:04:03,911
allow me to translate
what the Governor said.
65
00:04:03,911 --> 00:04:07,664
"Low tax" means less money
to spend on infrastructure.
66
00:04:07,748 --> 00:04:11,919
"Reasonable regulations" means
you weren't using that finger anyway.
67
00:04:12,544 --> 00:04:14,546
And "right-to-work" means weak unions,
68
00:04:14,630 --> 00:04:18,216
which means companies can get away with
lower pay and fewer benefits, and they do.
69
00:04:19,176 --> 00:04:20,886
I'm sure that's probably
just a Texas thing.
70
00:04:20,886 --> 00:04:23,263
Obviously we have
a very favorable tax climate.
71
00:04:23,347 --> 00:04:25,933
We also lowered corporate income taxes.
72
00:04:25,933 --> 00:04:29,394
We have a regulatory environment
that's friendly to businesses.
73
00:04:29,478 --> 00:04:32,439
We roll out the red carpet,
not the red tape.
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00:04:32,523 --> 00:04:35,526
The weather's great, the beaches
are great, the regulation is better...
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00:04:36,109 --> 00:04:41,365
Florida.
Sunshine, sand, and no fucking rules.
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00:04:41,365 --> 00:04:42,741
[audience laughs]
77
00:04:42,741 --> 00:04:46,537
That's why there've been so many
work-related accidents in Margaritaville.
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00:04:46,537 --> 00:04:50,374
[audience laughing, cheering]
79
00:04:51,875 --> 00:04:53,043
I don't want to sound crazy
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00:04:53,043 --> 00:04:57,589
but isn't this exactly what everybody
was complaining about with globalization?
81
00:04:57,673 --> 00:05:01,552
See, everybody talks about
how jobs are going to Mexico and to China.
82
00:05:01,552 --> 00:05:02,761
But if you're in Michigan
83
00:05:02,845 --> 00:05:06,515
people forget that we're also losing jobs
to Tennessee and Texas.
84
00:05:06,515 --> 00:05:09,726
We're also competing for jobs
from Georgia and South Carolina.
85
00:05:09,810 --> 00:05:13,438
Yes, and thus the Problem with...
86
00:05:16,316 --> 00:05:19,862
Nah, it's not globalization,
it's, uh, countrili--
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00:05:19,862 --> 00:05:22,990
Uh, countrificat-- countrilization.
88
00:05:23,907 --> 00:05:26,660
Yeah, okay. New word alert.
89
00:05:26,660 --> 00:05:29,204
If globalization undercuts workers
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00:05:29,288 --> 00:05:35,252
by incentivizing companies to move to
low-wage, low-regulation, low-tax markets
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00:05:35,252 --> 00:05:41,049
like China and Mexico, why would you do
a mini version of that in America?
92
00:05:41,133 --> 00:05:43,427
It's bound to become a race to the bottom
93
00:05:43,427 --> 00:05:47,764
between the states
at the expense of workers everywhere.
94
00:05:47,848 --> 00:05:50,642
And of course, that's what's happening.
95
00:05:50,726 --> 00:05:54,813
Take wages. When GE moved operations
from a union state, Pennsylvania,
96
00:05:54,897 --> 00:05:56,440
to right-to-work Texas,
97
00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,692
wages went from an average of $34/hour
98
00:05:58,692 --> 00:06:02,696
to a starting offer of $18/hour.
-[audience murmurs]
99
00:06:02,696 --> 00:06:03,780
What?
100
00:06:04,865 --> 00:06:08,452
The audience is not happy
about the wage cut.
101
00:06:09,244 --> 00:06:11,079
What about environmental regulations?
102
00:06:11,163 --> 00:06:12,623
That don't mean a lot to Florida,
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00:06:12,623 --> 00:06:15,459
where sugar companies are allowed
a harvesting practice
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00:06:15,459 --> 00:06:18,629
called
"burning the shit out of everything."
105
00:06:19,296 --> 00:06:21,924
[narrator]
The sugar giants don't have to burn.
106
00:06:21,924 --> 00:06:24,801
They could deal with the leaves
in different ways,
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00:06:24,885 --> 00:06:26,929
but that would be more expensive.
108
00:06:26,929 --> 00:06:31,558
Even corporate and fire-friendly
destination Brazil
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00:06:31,642 --> 00:06:33,685
has banned the practice. Brazil.
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00:06:34,311 --> 00:06:36,772
Rain-forest-burning Brazil,
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00:06:36,772 --> 00:06:42,528
whose national bird is dead
due to smoke inhalation.
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00:06:45,030 --> 00:06:47,991
Dead. The--
Not all the birds in Brazil are dead.
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00:06:48,075 --> 00:06:49,326
[audience laughing]
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00:06:51,912 --> 00:06:54,581
He's alive-- Kids, stop crying.
You shouldn't--
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00:06:55,916 --> 00:06:58,460
I'm sorry,
I'm being told he is dead. He is dead.
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00:07:00,254 --> 00:07:06,134
But hey, open burning.
It's cheaper and-- and who does it hurt?
117
00:07:06,218 --> 00:07:08,679
[reporter] Charles Jones
has lived in the Glades all his life,
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00:07:08,679 --> 00:07:11,974
working beneath the smoke and ash
from sugarcane fields for decades.
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00:07:11,974 --> 00:07:13,559
I call it "black rain."
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00:07:13,559 --> 00:07:20,482
We see it in our hair, we see it in our--
on our skin, we see it in our cars.
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00:07:20,566 --> 00:07:23,986
[chuckles] Okay, I mean,
but if attracting corporations
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00:07:23,986 --> 00:07:27,239
means caramelizing people to death,
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00:07:27,239 --> 00:07:29,867
[chuckles] I mean, flambé that town.
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00:07:30,492 --> 00:07:32,995
You may be thinking at least
those people have recourse
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00:07:32,995 --> 00:07:35,497
through the legal system, or did.
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00:07:35,581 --> 00:07:37,624
Because last year,
Governor Ron DeSantis passed a bill
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00:07:37,708 --> 00:07:42,421
that made it much harder for all
the sick people to sue the sugar-burners.
128
00:07:43,005 --> 00:07:45,799
But those are just people
who live near the corporations.
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00:07:46,300 --> 00:07:50,137
What if you're looking to fuck over
the people who work for your corporation?
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00:07:50,721 --> 00:07:52,097
Texas still has the edge.
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00:07:52,681 --> 00:07:54,558
Texas is the only state in America
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00:07:54,558 --> 00:07:58,478
that doesn't require companies
to provide workers' compensation.
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00:07:58,562 --> 00:07:59,813
[audience murmur, groan]
134
00:07:59,897 --> 00:08:02,608
Boy, these people are so angry about this.
135
00:08:03,609 --> 00:08:06,737
We've got some--
Do we have pitchforks and torches?
136
00:08:06,737 --> 00:08:08,280
[audience laughs]
137
00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:09,573
Start passing them out.
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00:08:10,407 --> 00:08:14,119
If you get hurt on the job in Texas,
which I know doesn't happen
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00:08:14,203 --> 00:08:17,998
[imitates Texas accent] 'cause it's Texas,
a manly man's bones don't break.
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00:08:17,998 --> 00:08:21,168
I'm in Texas. You can hit me
in the head with a baseball bat.
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00:08:21,168 --> 00:08:22,711
[audience laughing]
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00:08:22,711 --> 00:08:25,464
[imitating gunfire] Pew! Pew! Pew!
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00:08:29,384 --> 00:08:30,385
Pew!
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00:08:32,346 --> 00:08:37,643
But even if you do, this Texas
personal injury lawyer has had it.
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00:08:37,643 --> 00:08:39,477
They're fucking people's lives over.
146
00:08:39,561 --> 00:08:42,688
A lot of people that get injured
at work get displaced.
147
00:08:42,773 --> 00:08:46,485
I'm talking about 40-year-old guys
having to move back with their moms
148
00:08:46,485 --> 00:08:49,154
that live in some fucking
shithole somewhere.
149
00:08:51,990 --> 00:08:53,700
Is that a legal term?
150
00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,371
I would love to--
I want him to be my lawyer.
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00:08:57,371 --> 00:09:02,042
Your Honor, if I may, my client's
in a fucking shithole over here!
152
00:09:03,043 --> 00:09:07,422
Don't make me approach
this cocksucking bench, you piece of shit.
153
00:09:08,924 --> 00:09:11,510
By the way, if low wages, open burning
154
00:09:11,510 --> 00:09:14,972
and zero responsibility for
hazardous working conditions isn't enough.
155
00:09:14,972 --> 00:09:18,809
If you're still going "can't you sweeten
the deal?" there is more.
156
00:09:18,809 --> 00:09:23,188
States will also throw you
an amount of money just short of a fuckton
157
00:09:23,272 --> 00:09:24,982
to further entice you.
158
00:09:24,982 --> 00:09:29,152
Ohio put together a
$2.1 billion package to land Intel,
159
00:09:29,236 --> 00:09:32,114
Uh, Wisconsin, $3 billion to land Foxconn,
160
00:09:32,114 --> 00:09:37,327
and North Carolina paid
almost $900 million to land Apple.
161
00:09:38,161 --> 00:09:39,246
Apple!
162
00:09:39,246 --> 00:09:40,247
[audience laughing]
163
00:09:41,832 --> 00:09:43,959
A-- Apple.
164
00:09:45,419 --> 00:09:48,505
I'm sure it's a different Apple
than you're thinking of.
165
00:09:50,257 --> 00:09:51,383
No, they did it-- [stammers]
166
00:09:51,383 --> 00:09:56,471
They paid Apple, and then Apple paid
some of that money to me
167
00:09:57,973 --> 00:10:00,100
to tell you about all this fuckery!
168
00:10:00,184 --> 00:10:01,643
So in some ways,
169
00:10:01,727 --> 00:10:04,938
[whispering] Apple's the only company
that really cares about you.
170
00:10:05,981 --> 00:10:06,982
[mouthing words]
171
00:10:06,982 --> 00:10:09,401
[audience cheering]
-You hear them?
172
00:10:13,488 --> 00:10:16,033
Apple Music for everybody!
-[audience cheers]
173
00:10:16,033 --> 00:10:18,285
No, I'm just kidding.
I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
174
00:10:18,285 --> 00:10:21,205
I have-- I have no jurisdiction on that,
no jurisdiction.
175
00:10:22,122 --> 00:10:23,123
And there's more.
176
00:10:23,207 --> 00:10:26,001
North Carolina's recent
corporate-friendly tax cuts
177
00:10:26,001 --> 00:10:30,672
will cost the state
an estimated $1.5 billion a year,
178
00:10:30,756 --> 00:10:32,841
enough to fund its entire
community college system,
179
00:10:32,925 --> 00:10:36,470
or, like,
half a Brett Favre volleyball court.
180
00:10:36,470 --> 00:10:39,139
But, hey, it's an investment.
181
00:10:39,932 --> 00:10:44,353
Sure, your schools and social programs
suffer some short-term non-fundability,
182
00:10:44,353 --> 00:10:46,813
but in the long-term,
a Louisiana study found
183
00:10:46,897 --> 00:10:51,151
that for every incentive dollar
that was given to these corporations
184
00:10:51,235 --> 00:10:56,198
returns were a robust one to ten pennies
on the dollar.
185
00:10:56,198 --> 00:11:00,327
By the way, you can tell which states
are racing fastest to the bottom.
186
00:11:00,327 --> 00:11:02,663
Every year, magazines rank
the best states for business.
187
00:11:02,663 --> 00:11:08,919
CNBC, Forbes,
Chief Executive Magazine, a real winner.
188
00:11:08,919 --> 00:11:12,130
And of course,
Business Insider Swimsuit Edition.
189
00:11:12,214 --> 00:11:13,465
[audience laughing]
190
00:11:16,218 --> 00:11:21,849
Oh, Texas, you're giving me
a bit of a Galveston.
191
00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:27,437
As it turns out, states are also ranked on
who is best for workers
192
00:11:27,521 --> 00:11:31,608
by the non-profit Oxfam,
and the relationship is often inverse.
193
00:11:31,692 --> 00:11:35,612
North Carolina was ranked number one
on CNBC's Top States for Business 2022.
194
00:11:36,196 --> 00:11:41,159
It ranked 52nd on Oxfam's list.
195
00:11:41,243 --> 00:11:45,539
52nd out of 50!
196
00:11:45,539 --> 00:11:47,124
[audience laughing]
197
00:11:47,124 --> 00:11:48,542
What?
198
00:11:50,878 --> 00:11:54,047
I-- I guess behind all 49 other states,
199
00:11:54,756 --> 00:11:58,218
Chernobyl and, let's say, Jabba's Hut.
200
00:12:00,512 --> 00:12:03,223
As a matter of fact, a hundred
of America's biggest cities and counties
201
00:12:03,307 --> 00:12:06,518
with the highest median
tax-abatement policies
202
00:12:06,602 --> 00:12:08,061
had the worst inequality.
203
00:12:08,729 --> 00:12:13,775
So knowing that, you can imagine states
like to keep it on the down-low
204
00:12:14,318 --> 00:12:17,154
when they've been ranked
number one for business.
205
00:12:17,154 --> 00:12:19,281
America's top state for business
206
00:12:19,281 --> 00:12:22,784
is a state
that knows how to toot its own horn.
207
00:12:22,868 --> 00:12:25,120
[foghorn bellows]
208
00:12:25,204 --> 00:12:28,207
Congratulations to Washington state,
where I'm from,
209
00:12:28,207 --> 00:12:31,293
for being named
America's top state for business.
210
00:12:31,293 --> 00:12:32,878
Here's my song "Forever in Love."
211
00:12:32,878 --> 00:12:35,964
It's exactly how I feel
about the state of Washington.
212
00:12:36,882 --> 00:12:40,385
["Forever in Love" plays]
213
00:12:48,602 --> 00:12:50,103
I know it's bad for workers,
214
00:12:50,187 --> 00:12:53,690
but I cannot believe
how wet that is making my pussy.
215
00:12:53,774 --> 00:12:56,902
[audience applauding, cheering]
216
00:12:56,902 --> 00:12:58,195
Take a look at this.
217
00:13:00,113 --> 00:13:02,074
There's a reason why
Americans are so angry.
218
00:13:03,075 --> 00:13:04,243
Globalization...
-...is...
219
00:13:04,243 --> 00:13:05,869
...destroying the American dream.
220
00:13:06,828 --> 00:13:08,247
We have...
-...lost jobs...
221
00:13:08,247 --> 00:13:09,665
...to countries like...
-...Vietnam...
222
00:13:09,665 --> 00:13:10,707
...Mexico...
-...India...
223
00:13:10,791 --> 00:13:12,668
...and...
-...communist China.
224
00:13:13,710 --> 00:13:14,878
So I've got...
-...a strong...
225
00:13:14,962 --> 00:13:15,921
...message...
-...for those...
226
00:13:15,921 --> 00:13:17,381
...disgusting...
-... stupid...
227
00:13:17,381 --> 00:13:18,757
...freedom...
-... hating...
228
00:13:18,841 --> 00:13:19,675
...countries.
229
00:13:20,801 --> 00:13:21,760
We believe...
-... workers...
230
00:13:21,844 --> 00:13:22,886
...should be...
-...exploited...
231
00:13:22,970 --> 00:13:24,429
here at home...
232
00:13:24,513 --> 00:13:25,889
...on...
-...American soil.
233
00:13:27,307 --> 00:13:28,517
...Why should...
-...China...
234
00:13:28,517 --> 00:13:29,601
...have all the...
-...fun?
235
00:13:29,685 --> 00:13:30,602
We...
-... love to give...
236
00:13:30,686 --> 00:13:31,770
...workers...
-...the shaft...
237
00:13:31,854 --> 00:13:32,729
...too.
238
00:13:33,230 --> 00:13:34,398
Korea has...
-...unsafe...
239
00:13:34,398 --> 00:13:35,440
...working conditions.
240
00:13:35,524 --> 00:13:36,400
Guess what?
-So does...
241
00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:37,734
...the State of Texas.
242
00:13:38,277 --> 00:13:39,403
They have...
-...child labor...
243
00:13:39,403 --> 00:13:40,904
...in Vietnam.
-By golly...
244
00:13:40,988 --> 00:13:41,822
...we can...
-...do that...
245
00:13:41,822 --> 00:13:42,739
...here in Alabama.
246
00:13:43,907 --> 00:13:45,242
In America...
-...you have the...
247
00:13:45,242 --> 00:13:47,244
...right to work...
-...until the day you die.
248
00:13:48,537 --> 00:13:49,746
If anyone...
-...kills...
249
00:13:49,830 --> 00:13:51,623
...the American dream...
-...it's going to be...
250
00:13:53,417 --> 00:13:54,334
Us.
-Us.
251
00:13:54,418 --> 00:13:55,252
[all] Us.
252
00:13:55,919 --> 00:13:57,963
[audience applauding, cheering]
253
00:13:57,963 --> 00:13:59,047
Welcome back.
254
00:13:59,965 --> 00:14:01,550
Aw, that's lovely.
255
00:14:04,469 --> 00:14:08,765
Well, often we celebrate businesses
coming into a community.
256
00:14:08,849 --> 00:14:11,143
But we don't usually look under the hood
257
00:14:11,143 --> 00:14:14,479
for what the costs were
to lure the businesses there.
258
00:14:14,563 --> 00:14:18,192
The effect of those incentives
and subsidies on local infrastructure
259
00:14:18,192 --> 00:14:20,652
and what it does
to the workers left behind
260
00:14:20,736 --> 00:14:22,863
in the states
that these companies have fled.
261
00:14:22,863 --> 00:14:24,907
To get a sense of how this plays out,
we have a panel
262
00:14:24,907 --> 00:14:26,450
who have experienced this firsthand.
263
00:14:26,450 --> 00:14:31,538
Jeff Kashak, a former assembly worker
at GE in Erie, Pennsylvania,
264
00:14:31,622 --> 00:14:34,124
Sherry East, a high school science teacher
265
00:14:34,208 --> 00:14:37,544
and President of
the South Carolina Education Association,
266
00:14:37,628 --> 00:14:40,923
and Mother Minerva Camarena Skeith,
an Episcopal priest
267
00:14:40,923 --> 00:14:43,467
who has also spent years
as a community organizer
268
00:14:43,467 --> 00:14:47,763
challenging business incentive deals
in the State of Texas.
269
00:14:47,763 --> 00:14:50,933
Welcome, guys. Thank you for joining us.
-[audience cheering]
270
00:14:50,933 --> 00:14:52,059
Thank you for having us.
271
00:14:52,059 --> 00:14:57,898
Now, you've got-- You know,
we've certainly demonized other countries
272
00:14:57,898 --> 00:15:01,693
for the same practices
that some of these states are doing here.
273
00:15:01,777 --> 00:15:03,862
You're in Pennsylvania. You worked for GE.
274
00:15:03,946 --> 00:15:04,947
Yeah.
275
00:15:04,947 --> 00:15:07,491
They shifted a lot of those jobs to Texas.
276
00:15:08,283 --> 00:15:12,412
What does that do to Erie, the community
where-- where those jobs were,
277
00:15:12,496 --> 00:15:13,664
and what did it do to you?
278
00:15:14,164 --> 00:15:18,252
Well, the community--
It's just a trickle-down effect, you know?
279
00:15:18,252 --> 00:15:21,421
Um, people aren't making money.
They're not spending money.
280
00:15:21,505 --> 00:15:25,217
They're not putting it into dinner.
They're not buying cars.
281
00:15:25,217 --> 00:15:30,222
They're not buying homes.
It affected greatly the Erie community.
282
00:15:30,222 --> 00:15:32,975
Did the Erie community know that
it went to Texas
283
00:15:32,975 --> 00:15:37,229
and not to the normally-demonized places
that they go?
284
00:15:37,229 --> 00:15:39,815
Absolutely. Yeah, they would come in
285
00:15:39,815 --> 00:15:44,653
and watch us doing our job
to take it to Texas. Sure.
286
00:15:44,653 --> 00:15:46,196
[laughs] Abso-fuckin'-lutely. Yeah.
-Oh, nice.
287
00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,323
Basically, they came in and said,
"So that's how you do it?"
288
00:15:48,407 --> 00:15:50,993
They would peek. They would peek. Yeah.
-Mm-hmm. Interesting. Ni-nice.
289
00:15:50,993 --> 00:15:55,914
And Sherry, you know,
being in, uh, an educators association,
290
00:15:55,998 --> 00:15:58,709
you're aware of what
just these incentive packages
291
00:15:58,709 --> 00:16:02,296
that these governors are throwing down
does to these local communities as well.
292
00:16:02,296 --> 00:16:04,798
Not just to the workers, but to the kids...
-Right.
293
00:16:04,882 --> 00:16:06,758
...and to the infrastructure.
294
00:16:06,842 --> 00:16:08,969
Correct. What we have found
in the last five years
295
00:16:08,969 --> 00:16:11,096
with the Good Jobs First report
that came out
296
00:16:11,180 --> 00:16:14,391
is the funding that is lacking
for our school districts,
297
00:16:14,391 --> 00:16:16,768
it lays it out district by district
on how much money
298
00:16:16,852 --> 00:16:19,062
that the districts did not get
from these companies
299
00:16:19,146 --> 00:16:23,650
that we allow to come into South Carolina
because we don't make them pay any taxes.
300
00:16:23,734 --> 00:16:25,194
It's called a "tax abatement."
-Mm-hmm.
301
00:16:25,194 --> 00:16:26,737
And so in the last five years,
302
00:16:26,737 --> 00:16:28,947
there are billions of dollars
that our school system...
303
00:16:29,031 --> 00:16:30,782
Taken out of South Carolina schools?
304
00:16:30,866 --> 00:16:32,492
...that would've went
into the South Carolina schools
305
00:16:32,576 --> 00:16:35,370
had we charged these folks, um, a tax rate
306
00:16:35,454 --> 00:16:37,915
instead of giving them a free ride
to come into South Carolina.
307
00:16:37,915 --> 00:16:41,710
So one district in particular lost
about five billion a year.
308
00:16:41,710 --> 00:16:47,591
And in the past five years, $17 million
in this poor, poverty-stricken community
309
00:16:47,591 --> 00:16:49,885
that the schools--
We have terrible infrastructure.
310
00:16:49,885 --> 00:16:51,261
We have schools without air conditioning.
311
00:16:51,345 --> 00:16:54,431
We have schools
that the windows don't open and close.
312
00:16:54,515 --> 00:16:57,267
I mean, we could really use
some of that money.
313
00:16:57,351 --> 00:17:00,687
You know, I remember Stephen Colbert
did a DonorsChoose.
314
00:17:01,355 --> 00:17:04,023
Uh, now, obviously
he is not a charitable individual.
315
00:17:04,107 --> 00:17:07,778
He generally, I thought, was going
to use some of the money for himself,
316
00:17:07,778 --> 00:17:08,862
to be quite frank.
317
00:17:09,613 --> 00:17:11,615
I don't know if it's drugs
or what he was buying with it.
318
00:17:11,615 --> 00:17:13,242
Most likely it's gambling.
319
00:17:13,242 --> 00:17:16,954
Stephen Colbert is a gambler
and a drug addict.
320
00:17:16,954 --> 00:17:18,288
[audience laughing]
321
00:17:21,333 --> 00:17:23,335
I'm legally allowed to say that I think.
322
00:17:24,419 --> 00:17:26,003
But he had these donors choose,
323
00:17:26,088 --> 00:17:30,425
and oftentimes the money would just
go directly to classrooms...
324
00:17:30,509 --> 00:17:31,969
Right.
-[Stewart] ...in South Carolina.
325
00:17:31,969 --> 00:17:35,430
But I didn't realize
that there was this billion-dollars gap...
326
00:17:36,014 --> 00:17:37,266
Right.
-...because they were giving it
327
00:17:37,266 --> 00:17:38,684
to these corporate tax abatements.
328
00:17:38,684 --> 00:17:40,894
Minerva, you're in Texas, uh--
-[Skeith] Mm-hmm.
329
00:17:41,854 --> 00:17:46,358
Mother Minerva. How-- What is the proper--
You had many names. What is the proper...
330
00:17:46,358 --> 00:17:49,486
So when I'm working,
and when I'm representing the church,
331
00:17:49,570 --> 00:17:51,071
I'm Mother Minerva.
-[Stewart] Mother Minerva.
332
00:17:51,071 --> 00:17:53,657
May I call you "Mother Minerva?"
-Absolutely.
333
00:17:53,657 --> 00:17:56,869
All right. I am Jewish,
so you do not have jurisdiction here, but...
334
00:17:56,869 --> 00:17:58,036
That's all right.
335
00:17:58,120 --> 00:17:59,705
Nor do I claim any.
-[Stewart] But...
336
00:18:00,414 --> 00:18:03,041
we will still continue the conversation.
337
00:18:03,125 --> 00:18:07,129
Uh, Mother Minerva, you've been fighting
against this practice.
338
00:18:07,754 --> 00:18:11,258
How do these localities
still elect these officials
339
00:18:11,258 --> 00:18:15,387
who are hollowing out the infrastructures,
and how do we change it?
340
00:18:15,387 --> 00:18:18,765
So I think part of it is,
is we have to ask the questions.
341
00:18:18,849 --> 00:18:21,476
If we don't ask questions,
then we're not gonna find out
342
00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,770
who pays and who benefits.
-[Stewart] Mm-hmm.
343
00:18:23,854 --> 00:18:26,315
Texas IAF, which is the organization
that I work with,
344
00:18:26,315 --> 00:18:29,776
Central Texas Interfaith,
is the affiliate at the local level.
345
00:18:29,860 --> 00:18:34,323
And so what they teach is, is always,
when we're looking at policy and issues,
346
00:18:34,323 --> 00:18:38,660
look and follow the money.
Who pays, who benefits.
347
00:18:38,744 --> 00:18:41,872
And so what often happens is people
come in and say,
348
00:18:41,872 --> 00:18:47,127
"Look at these goodies you're gonna get
if you give away some money
349
00:18:47,211 --> 00:18:49,254
because you're gonna make more in return."
350
00:18:49,338 --> 00:18:52,257
And so the-- They will--
-So they'll say to the population,
351
00:18:52,341 --> 00:18:54,760
"Yes, we're giving a billion dollars
to this corporation,
352
00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:56,762
but the jobs..."
-"...you're going to get so much more."
353
00:18:56,762 --> 00:18:58,722
And so we should hold them accountable
354
00:18:58,722 --> 00:19:01,850
to make sure we're getting a return
on our investment.
355
00:19:01,934 --> 00:19:04,770
And so then ask the question.
How many jobs are we really getting?
356
00:19:04,770 --> 00:19:06,939
How is this
going to benefit the community?
357
00:19:07,481 --> 00:19:11,109
Is this really gonna go for jobs,
high-paying jobs?
358
00:19:11,193 --> 00:19:17,574
'Cause it's still-- As a political move,
any governor, any mayor, anybody who says,
359
00:19:17,658 --> 00:19:21,119
"Hey, we brought in this big business,"
most people are going to celebrate it.
360
00:19:21,662 --> 00:19:24,456
Right? I'm sure in Texas,
they were celebrating
361
00:19:24,540 --> 00:19:27,626
what happened to you guys
in Erie, Pennsylvania.
362
00:19:27,626 --> 00:19:30,212
Sure.
-So how did you fight back
363
00:19:30,921 --> 00:19:32,214
in your situation?
364
00:19:32,714 --> 00:19:35,175
Well, at that point,
there-- there was no fighting back.
365
00:19:35,259 --> 00:19:38,220
Right.
-And then we just washed our hands of it.
366
00:19:38,220 --> 00:19:40,764
And did our own thing.
Started our own business.
367
00:19:40,848 --> 00:19:44,184
Do you have workers?
-We have five guys that work for us.
368
00:19:44,268 --> 00:19:46,812
And are you fucking them over?
-Absolutely not.
369
00:19:46,812 --> 00:19:50,023
What? Have they taught you nothing, Jeff?
-No way!
370
00:19:50,107 --> 00:19:51,692
[laughs]
371
00:19:51,692 --> 00:19:54,945
What, are you giving them benefits?
-We treat them well, very well.
372
00:19:54,945 --> 00:19:56,864
How does that play in South Carolina?
373
00:19:56,864 --> 00:19:59,658
Education is such an important issue
to voters.
374
00:19:59,658 --> 00:20:04,204
How do they not connect
the two, uh, practices?
375
00:20:04,288 --> 00:20:07,207
I think she made a very good point.
They don't know. People don't know.
376
00:20:07,291 --> 00:20:10,460
We've talked to school board members
that they didn't realize,
377
00:20:10,544 --> 00:20:12,379
"Oh, what do you mean
we didn't get any money
378
00:20:12,379 --> 00:20:14,506
from Honda coming to our district?"
379
00:20:14,590 --> 00:20:17,217
Or "what do you mean
we lost this much money?"
380
00:20:17,301 --> 00:20:20,929
So we're not asking the right questions
and nobody's aware that this is going on.
381
00:20:21,013 --> 00:20:24,141
So we, as the Education Association,
this year,
382
00:20:24,141 --> 00:20:25,559
are asking for some of that money.
383
00:20:25,559 --> 00:20:28,437
Like we want to, one,
be at the table when these deals are made.
384
00:20:28,437 --> 00:20:30,606
And the second thing is
we want a percent of that money.
385
00:20:30,606 --> 00:20:32,482
So, okay, you can give them a deal,
386
00:20:32,566 --> 00:20:36,320
but they need to give us a percent
of that money into our school system
387
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:37,988
that they should invest in.
388
00:20:37,988 --> 00:20:40,908
They say they want to come here
and invest in our communities, then do it.
389
00:20:40,908 --> 00:20:42,618
Prove it.
-So when you talk to the governors,
390
00:20:42,618 --> 00:20:44,286
they have teams.
391
00:20:44,286 --> 00:20:45,996
They have teams of people
392
00:20:45,996 --> 00:20:48,957
that are designing incentive packages
for corporations.
393
00:20:49,041 --> 00:20:52,336
I mean, they work on this,
and they go and they present them.
394
00:20:52,336 --> 00:20:55,797
The truth of the matter is people--
companies don't move
395
00:20:55,881 --> 00:20:57,841
and they don't relocate
because of incentives.
396
00:20:57,925 --> 00:21:00,844
They move for other reasons
like good employees.
397
00:21:00,928 --> 00:21:04,348
They move for good infrastructure.
They move because there's good schools.
398
00:21:04,348 --> 00:21:06,016
But isn't the irony of all that,
399
00:21:06,016 --> 00:21:08,393
the very things they say
they're coming for,
400
00:21:08,477 --> 00:21:12,523
infrastructure, education, and all that,
their presence hollows out.
401
00:21:12,523 --> 00:21:15,108
Absolutely.
And so when we started fighting with them,
402
00:21:15,192 --> 00:21:17,694
we said, "If you're going to do them
at the local level
403
00:21:17,778 --> 00:21:22,324
you have to at least, at a minimum,
give living wages, have a career path,
404
00:21:22,324 --> 00:21:25,619
give benefits, and to make sure that
they're high-paying jobs," right?
405
00:21:25,619 --> 00:21:27,246
Now who do you take that to?
406
00:21:27,246 --> 00:21:29,498
We took that to the county,
and we took that to the city.
407
00:21:29,498 --> 00:21:32,000
And so we made--
we made clawback provisions,
408
00:21:32,084 --> 00:21:35,003
because what we discovered is that
people make promises that they don't keep.
409
00:21:35,087 --> 00:21:37,881
But if there's no clawback provisions,
they get to keep the money.
410
00:21:37,965 --> 00:21:39,800
And you were successful?
-And we were successful.
411
00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,928
And we did this in San Antonio,
in Houston, in Austin,
412
00:21:42,928 --> 00:21:44,388
and several communities in Texas.
413
00:21:44,388 --> 00:21:48,308
So the schools in South Carolina,
will you follow that same blueprint
414
00:21:48,392 --> 00:21:49,518
and do the same thing?
-Yes.
415
00:21:49,518 --> 00:21:51,353
We're gonna become good friends.
-Are you?
416
00:21:51,353 --> 00:21:52,813
Did you guys not know each other?
-[laughs]
417
00:21:52,813 --> 00:21:54,690
No, we did not.
-[Skeith] No.
418
00:21:54,690 --> 00:21:57,317
[East] So we're just--
-South Carolina better watch the fuck out.
419
00:21:57,401 --> 00:21:59,111
[laughing]
-[audience laughing, applauding]
420
00:21:59,111 --> 00:22:00,320
Yes.
421
00:22:00,904 --> 00:22:04,032
What's happening right here, right now,
very powerful.
422
00:22:04,116 --> 00:22:06,451
I know what's going-- You keep looking
at her, she keeps looking at you.
423
00:22:06,535 --> 00:22:08,370
[Stewart] I-- I feel like--
-Yeah.
424
00:22:08,954 --> 00:22:12,958
And I don't want to say anything,
this is a "Wonder Twins unite" situation.
425
00:22:12,958 --> 00:22:15,502
[audience laughing, applauding]
-[Stewart] Well done.
426
00:22:15,586 --> 00:22:20,090
Thank you all very much, uh,
for coming to talk to us about this, uh,
427
00:22:20,174 --> 00:22:23,468
for shedding light on how these decisions
are made at the local levels.
428
00:22:23,552 --> 00:22:26,680
Take a look at this.
-[audience applauding]
429
00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,308
Hi, I'm LeVar Burton
and you may remember me
430
00:22:29,308 --> 00:22:30,809
for teaching you how to read,
431
00:22:30,893 --> 00:22:34,021
or for not being allowed
to know how to read.
432
00:22:34,021 --> 00:22:35,147
Now that's range.
433
00:22:36,231 --> 00:22:39,401
In my new Master Class,
I'll be breaking down globalization
434
00:22:39,401 --> 00:22:43,488
and the dynamics of capital mobility
in open economic systems.
435
00:22:43,572 --> 00:22:44,531
En garde.
436
00:22:46,491 --> 00:22:48,243
In a globalized economy,
437
00:22:48,327 --> 00:22:51,413
Friedrich Hayek's model
of free-market competition posits that--
438
00:22:51,413 --> 00:22:52,748
No, much too dry.
439
00:22:53,624 --> 00:22:56,251
Imagine this gully is cheap labor.
440
00:22:57,127 --> 00:22:58,128
Too wet. [sighs]
441
00:23:00,339 --> 00:23:01,673
Oh, hell no.
442
00:23:02,299 --> 00:23:04,510
Where is my textbook?
443
00:23:04,510 --> 00:23:06,136
Ah, yes.
444
00:23:06,220 --> 00:23:08,722
This All Started With Slave Labor.
445
00:23:08,722 --> 00:23:12,142
The economic argument
is always about getting the most work
446
00:23:12,226 --> 00:23:15,103
for the least money
in the worst conditions possible.
447
00:23:15,187 --> 00:23:18,857
The reason the South will rise again
is because wages won't.
448
00:23:18,941 --> 00:23:21,026
Globalization my ass.
449
00:23:21,026 --> 00:23:22,361
Join me for my next class,
450
00:23:22,361 --> 00:23:25,948
where I'll explain Elvis,
using the exact same book.
451
00:23:25,948 --> 00:23:27,241
Take that.
452
00:23:28,534 --> 00:23:32,120
[stammers] Do I get an Apple TV
subscription for doing this?
453
00:23:32,204 --> 00:23:35,415
[audience laughing, applauding]
454
00:23:35,499 --> 00:23:36,542
LeVar!
455
00:23:37,042 --> 00:23:39,169
[applauding continues]
456
00:23:39,253 --> 00:23:44,132
So, why do states engage in this race
to the bottom
457
00:23:44,883 --> 00:23:48,178
even while not seemingly
being so happy about it?
458
00:23:48,262 --> 00:23:51,723
We checked in with North Carolina
Governor Roy Cooper to find out.
459
00:23:55,894 --> 00:23:58,063
Thank you, Governor Cooper,
for sitting down with us.
460
00:23:58,063 --> 00:23:59,815
We came to talk to you because
461
00:23:59,815 --> 00:24:04,611
North Carolina is the number-one state
for business.
462
00:24:04,695 --> 00:24:07,614
Why is North Carolina number one?
463
00:24:07,698 --> 00:24:12,619
We paid a lot of attention to workforce,
investing in our community colleges
464
00:24:12,703 --> 00:24:14,621
and our universities.
465
00:24:14,705 --> 00:24:18,208
And when I talk to businesses,
I spend time trying
466
00:24:18,292 --> 00:24:21,753
to find out what CEOs are looking for.
-[Stewart] Mm-hmm.
467
00:24:21,837 --> 00:24:26,508
Their top three issues are workforce,
workforce, and workforce.
468
00:24:26,592 --> 00:24:30,470
They believe our workforce
is more educated...
469
00:24:30,554 --> 00:24:32,931
[Stewart] Mm-hmm.
-...and more diverse.
470
00:24:33,015 --> 00:24:36,351
So let's deal with the second issue,
which is workforce.
471
00:24:36,435 --> 00:24:40,355
Generally, the states that are considered,
"best for business,"
472
00:24:41,023 --> 00:24:44,276
are also ranked, "worst for workers."
473
00:24:44,860 --> 00:24:48,071
You know, when you look
at the Oxfam rankings,
474
00:24:48,155 --> 00:24:51,158
North Carolina is ranked 52nd.
475
00:24:51,867 --> 00:24:56,496
Now, I am not a well-educated workforce,
so I didn't realize we had 52 states,
476
00:24:56,580 --> 00:24:57,748
but--
-Well--
477
00:24:57,748 --> 00:25:00,876
Well, first, uh, I have some issues
with that study.
478
00:25:00,876 --> 00:25:02,211
But I want to acknowledge
479
00:25:02,211 --> 00:25:05,756
that we are hurting in that area.
-[Stewart] Right.
480
00:25:05,756 --> 00:25:10,969
Uh, we have a lot of work to do
in North Carolina to protect our workers.
481
00:25:11,053 --> 00:25:15,015
We have one of the worst
unemployment insurance benefits...
482
00:25:15,015 --> 00:25:16,683
That's right.
-...in the country.
483
00:25:16,767 --> 00:25:20,729
Uh, we need to force our wages higher,
484
00:25:20,729 --> 00:25:24,775
and-- and we need
to do better in those areas.
485
00:25:24,775 --> 00:25:27,778
And, as governor,
one of the reasons I'm trying
486
00:25:27,778 --> 00:25:30,906
to attract the better-paying jobs,
-Mm-hmm.
487
00:25:30,906 --> 00:25:34,576
is because it's going to raise the wages
of our families.
488
00:25:34,660 --> 00:25:35,786
At the same time,
489
00:25:35,786 --> 00:25:39,039
I'm fighting the legislature
about raising the minimum wage.
490
00:25:39,039 --> 00:25:41,208
They won't do it. They refuse to do it.
-Right.
491
00:25:41,208 --> 00:25:44,461
And one of the reasons why we're trying
to attract these companies,
492
00:25:44,545 --> 00:25:46,338
and are successfully doing it,
493
00:25:46,922 --> 00:25:51,552
that raises the boat here in the harbor,
that everybody is gonna do better.
494
00:25:51,552 --> 00:25:53,262
So you're saying,
"A rising tide lifts all boats?"
495
00:25:53,262 --> 00:25:56,723
Well, it does
if you are particular about it.
496
00:25:56,807 --> 00:26:00,811
You've got to make sure
that the safety net is-- is there,
497
00:26:00,811 --> 00:26:03,063
that you're paying attention.
-I've always, you know,
498
00:26:03,063 --> 00:26:06,275
the problem I had, 'cause it's that
trickle-down economics theory.
499
00:26:06,275 --> 00:26:08,694
You know, and they say,
"The rising tide lifts all boats,"
500
00:26:08,694 --> 00:26:10,404
and I always think,
yeah, if you have a boat.
501
00:26:10,404 --> 00:26:12,281
That's right.
-If you don't have a boat,
502
00:26:13,490 --> 00:26:17,035
it's just a rising tide
and you sink to the bottom.
503
00:26:17,661 --> 00:26:20,289
So this gets us to, kind of, the crux
of what we're talking about.
504
00:26:20,289 --> 00:26:23,709
Do corporations come here and go,
505
00:26:23,709 --> 00:26:24,918
"Governor, you're right.
506
00:26:25,502 --> 00:26:27,921
There-- What a great workforce.
507
00:26:28,005 --> 00:26:29,381
I can't wait to go there
508
00:26:29,381 --> 00:26:32,342
and treat them worse
than I would have to in another state?"
509
00:26:32,426 --> 00:26:37,764
Are we hollowing out states like Illinois,
and New York, and New Jersey,
510
00:26:37,848 --> 00:26:43,061
who don't have zero corporate tax rates,
who do have more worker protections?
511
00:26:43,645 --> 00:26:46,565
Well, if that were the entire premise
512
00:26:46,565 --> 00:26:48,817
then they'd be going to Mississippi.
-Yep.
513
00:26:48,901 --> 00:26:51,236
Right. Right.
-It's not a zero-sum game here.
514
00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:53,280
I mean, it's a lot...
-You're saying it's not just...
515
00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:54,573
...of factors.
-...the corporate package?
516
00:26:54,573 --> 00:26:58,076
Yeah, it's a lot of factors
that are involved here.
517
00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,787
I think it's a combination
of a lot of things, Jon,
518
00:27:00,871 --> 00:27:02,831
that businesses look at
519
00:27:02,915 --> 00:27:04,625
when they decide where to go.
-Right.
520
00:27:04,625 --> 00:27:07,002
If that's-- if that's the case,
521
00:27:08,045 --> 00:27:10,547
why do these incentive packages...
-Yeah.
522
00:27:10,631 --> 00:27:14,051
...Apple, which is a terrific company...
-[Cooper laughing]
523
00:27:14,051 --> 00:27:16,261
...and I have nothing bad to say about it.
524
00:27:16,845 --> 00:27:19,598
$840 million for Apple.
-Yeah.
525
00:27:19,598 --> 00:27:24,645
If it's all about your educated workforce,
why pursue those incentives?
526
00:27:24,645 --> 00:27:29,024
Well, first incentives get us to the table
with these companies.
527
00:27:29,024 --> 00:27:32,611
Secondly, ours are better.
-Your incentives are better?
528
00:27:32,611 --> 00:27:35,531
Yeah, they are,
because they are performance-based.
529
00:27:35,531 --> 00:27:38,242
Right.
-But what they have to do is to have
530
00:27:38,242 --> 00:27:41,912
a certain number of jobs
at a certain number of, uh--
531
00:27:41,912 --> 00:27:43,330
A certain wage.
-At a certain wage.
532
00:27:43,330 --> 00:27:49,127
And we have a provision
that we clawback if they don't do that.
533
00:27:49,211 --> 00:27:50,838
You do see the irony of it though?
534
00:27:50,838 --> 00:27:52,339
The corporations all say,
535
00:27:52,339 --> 00:27:56,510
"We want to come for your workforce,
but if you have an incentive package,
536
00:27:56,510 --> 00:27:59,888
where I pay less corporate tax,
maybe we'll do that."
537
00:27:59,972 --> 00:28:03,851
But that's going to take money away
from your ability
538
00:28:04,601 --> 00:28:08,021
to keep creating a wonderful workforce.
539
00:28:08,105 --> 00:28:12,484
Would-- Wouldn't you rather have
a tax credit for a company
540
00:28:13,026 --> 00:28:17,364
that promises you that they're going
to create a certain number of jobs,
541
00:28:17,364 --> 00:28:19,658
at a certain ra-- wage,
542
00:28:19,658 --> 00:28:24,204
rather than an across-the-board
corporate tax cut,
543
00:28:24,288 --> 00:28:27,541
where you have no accountability
whatsoever?
544
00:28:27,541 --> 00:28:31,461
I'd rather have that money invested
into those--
545
00:28:31,545 --> 00:28:35,090
The return on investment
for these corporate incentive packages
546
00:28:35,174 --> 00:28:39,595
is almost always pretty dubious.
-We-- We ha-- We do, uh,
547
00:28:39,595 --> 00:28:42,347
a strict economic analysis...
-Mm-hmm.
548
00:28:42,431 --> 00:28:45,517
...as to whether the overall economy
and people's wages
549
00:28:45,601 --> 00:28:46,810
are going to be helped by these deals.
550
00:28:46,894 --> 00:28:52,024
There are a lot of deals we don't do
because it doesn't meet that test for us.
551
00:28:52,024 --> 00:28:55,527
Generally, the states
that have greased the skids
552
00:28:55,611 --> 00:28:59,740
for corporations
and given big incentive packages
553
00:29:00,908 --> 00:29:03,160
are less appealing for workers.
554
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:05,412
That's just--
-Well, people wouldn't be coming here,
555
00:29:05,412 --> 00:29:06,872
Jon, if that were the case.
556
00:29:06,872 --> 00:29:09,750
I mean, we are growing significantly
in population.
557
00:29:09,750 --> 00:29:12,544
Right.
-And that may be other-- in other states
558
00:29:12,628 --> 00:29:15,214
that are front-loading
559
00:29:15,214 --> 00:29:17,174
a lot of their incentives...
-Right.
560
00:29:17,174 --> 00:29:19,635
...and aren't making the right ki--
-So why give the incentive?
561
00:29:19,635 --> 00:29:21,970
Is it the best use of the money?
562
00:29:22,054 --> 00:29:25,682
Why not take that money
and put it into child care
563
00:29:25,766 --> 00:29:27,267
and into all those things?
-[Cooper stammers] Oh.
564
00:29:27,351 --> 00:29:30,270
You know, I want to invest in child care.
565
00:29:30,354 --> 00:29:32,773
You keep trying
to make this a zero-sum game...
566
00:29:32,773 --> 00:29:35,484
So you're saying you can do both?
-...and it is not. Yes. Absolutely.
567
00:29:35,484 --> 00:29:37,402
The money is there to do both.
568
00:29:37,486 --> 00:29:39,738
And particularly,
if we put our corporate tax rate
569
00:29:39,738 --> 00:29:42,324
where it ought to be, and our tax rate--
-Right. But it won't be.
570
00:29:42,324 --> 00:29:43,534
It's going to zero.
-Well, we--
571
00:29:43,534 --> 00:29:45,827
You're going to lose $1.5 billion.
-You gonna give up?
572
00:29:45,911 --> 00:29:47,371
You gonna give up the political fight?
573
00:29:47,371 --> 00:29:49,122
But incentives to corporations
574
00:29:49,206 --> 00:29:50,666
isn't a "right-wing" or "left-wing" thing.
575
00:29:50,666 --> 00:29:52,417
It's an "everybody" thing.
-Well--
576
00:29:52,501 --> 00:29:55,796
You know, corporate subsidies
and incentive packages
577
00:29:55,796 --> 00:29:59,424
for these companies is seemingly
578
00:29:59,508 --> 00:30:03,929
one of the few things that Democrats
and Republicans can agree on.
579
00:30:03,929 --> 00:30:06,723
And, so, are we doing this the wrong way?
580
00:30:06,807 --> 00:30:10,727
The problem
is not performance-based incentives.
581
00:30:10,811 --> 00:30:15,732
The problem is, "right-wing"
Republican ideology...
582
00:30:16,275 --> 00:30:18,777
And what's that?
-...that wants to bring down the tax rate.
583
00:30:18,861 --> 00:30:23,407
That don't want wealthy people
to pay their fair share,
584
00:30:23,407 --> 00:30:25,367
and don't want corporations
to pay their fair share.
585
00:30:25,367 --> 00:30:27,744
Under the current tax structure,
586
00:30:28,620 --> 00:30:33,542
you'll get less by $1.5 billion
in your 2023 budget.
587
00:30:33,542 --> 00:30:37,296
That could fund the entire
North Carolina Community College,
588
00:30:37,296 --> 00:30:40,674
could make North Carolina
Community College free for everybody.
589
00:30:40,674 --> 00:30:44,219
It's not an either-or, Jon,
particularly here in North Carolina.
590
00:30:44,845 --> 00:30:48,640
These guys have got billions
of dollars sitting there.
591
00:30:48,724 --> 00:30:51,977
Our-- The Republican legislature.
-Which guys?
592
00:30:51,977 --> 00:30:53,478
[Stewart] Right.
-Billions of dollars
593
00:30:53,562 --> 00:30:55,606
that they have refused to invest.
594
00:30:55,606 --> 00:30:58,483
Because what they want to do
is to lie in wait
595
00:30:58,567 --> 00:31:03,322
and cut more taxes for corporations
and wealthy people.
596
00:31:03,322 --> 00:31:05,574
Because what they want, down the road,
597
00:31:05,574 --> 00:31:10,120
is lower overall taxes for corporations
and the wealthy.
598
00:31:10,204 --> 00:31:11,997
How much lower can they go for zero?
599
00:31:11,997 --> 00:31:13,916
Well, corporate taxes aren't quite there.
600
00:31:13,916 --> 00:31:16,502
They're, like, at two and half right now,
but they want to go there.
601
00:31:16,502 --> 00:31:19,713
It's supposed to be by 2030.
We've still got time to turn that around.
602
00:31:19,713 --> 00:31:23,091
Remove the Republican resistance
to what you would do.
603
00:31:23,175 --> 00:31:25,844
I want a progressive tax system
604
00:31:25,928 --> 00:31:30,933
to make sure that wealthy people
and corporations pay their fair share.
605
00:31:30,933 --> 00:31:33,727
But I think that what we've done
in North Carolina,
606
00:31:33,727 --> 00:31:40,150
is if you build a quality educated,
diverse workforce,
607
00:31:40,234 --> 00:31:41,401
they will come.
-They will come.
608
00:31:41,485 --> 00:31:44,321
That, I believe,
is still the overriding issue.
609
00:31:44,321 --> 00:31:46,990
Why do you need incentives?
I get it. I understand that.
610
00:31:47,074 --> 00:31:48,450
But we--
611
00:31:48,534 --> 00:31:50,869
This is a way that you guarantee--
-But answer 'cause--
612
00:31:50,953 --> 00:31:53,997
'cause that's the question,
why in your mind do you need incentives?
613
00:31:54,831 --> 00:31:58,252
Because we need to make sure that they do
what they say they're going to do.
614
00:31:58,252 --> 00:32:00,587
And we're competing with other states...
-That's--
615
00:32:00,671 --> 00:32:01,755
...that are front-loading.
616
00:32:01,839 --> 00:32:04,216
There's no question about that.
-Does that need to be stopped?
617
00:32:04,216 --> 00:32:07,886
Well... [stammers] ...I think that
we should set a better example.
618
00:32:07,970 --> 00:32:10,097
I-I hoped that they wouldn't do it.
619
00:32:10,097 --> 00:32:11,181
We're not doing it.
620
00:32:11,265 --> 00:32:14,852
So can you think of a better system?
621
00:32:14,852 --> 00:32:16,687
Yeah-- Yeah. [stammers]
-That's all.
622
00:32:16,687 --> 00:32:18,564
I'm going to give you your premise.
-[Stewart claps]
623
00:32:18,564 --> 00:32:20,399
I'm gonna give you--
-That's all I'm asking.
624
00:32:20,399 --> 00:32:22,609
That's all you're asking.
-Boom. Now we got a premise.
625
00:32:22,693 --> 00:32:23,819
Let's do this.
-[laughing]
626
00:32:23,819 --> 00:32:25,571
First, I disagree.
-What would you do?
627
00:32:25,571 --> 00:32:30,450
I disagree with the return
on performance-based incentives,
628
00:32:30,534 --> 00:32:33,412
because if we do the analysis,
I think it's good.
629
00:32:33,412 --> 00:32:36,498
But, let's just say
I had a defined amount of money.
630
00:32:36,582 --> 00:32:38,625
Okay. Here we go.
-[Cooper laughs] Guess what?
631
00:32:38,709 --> 00:32:40,836
I would rather invest it
632
00:32:40,836 --> 00:32:42,921
in early childhood education...
-Boom.
633
00:32:43,005 --> 00:32:44,214
...public schools--
-We're done here.
634
00:32:44,298 --> 00:32:46,425
No, man, come on-- [stammers]
635
00:32:46,425 --> 00:32:49,136
I'm giving you your premise.
-You're giving me my premise.
636
00:32:49,136 --> 00:32:51,221
That's an "if." That's an "if."
-You think though--
637
00:32:51,305 --> 00:32:53,348
You believe it'd be a better return
on investment?
638
00:32:53,432 --> 00:32:55,225
I think it would be a better return
on investment.
639
00:32:55,309 --> 00:32:58,353
Okay. We'll see you guys.
-[laughing]
640
00:32:58,437 --> 00:33:00,606
Thanks. That's great.
-Thank you, sir.
641
00:33:00,606 --> 00:33:01,857
[audience applauding]
642
00:33:01,857 --> 00:33:04,693
You see? That's all you need.
643
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:08,864
All he had to do
was give me my fucking premise.
644
00:33:08,864 --> 00:33:10,324
Give me my premise.
645
00:33:10,324 --> 00:33:11,617
[applauding continues]
646
00:33:11,617 --> 00:33:15,370
Because, like Wu-Tang,
Roy Cooper's for the children.
647
00:33:15,454 --> 00:33:16,872
[audience laughing]
648
00:33:16,872 --> 00:33:17,956
That's our show.
649
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:19,541
Hopefully, you learned
a little something new
650
00:33:19,625 --> 00:33:21,084
while you folded your laundry out there.
651
00:33:21,168 --> 00:33:23,712
For more information
check out these resources,
652
00:33:23,712 --> 00:33:27,841
or you can always find them
on our website, unless you're chicken.
653
00:33:28,383 --> 00:33:29,801
[audience laughing]
654
00:33:29,885 --> 00:33:31,762
You scared?
You scared to go to our website?
655
00:33:33,263 --> 00:33:35,891
[imitates chicken]
-[audience laughing]
656
00:33:35,891 --> 00:33:37,809
If you want more me,
but without seeing my face,
657
00:33:37,893 --> 00:33:39,561
we've also got a-- a little podcast there.
658
00:33:39,645 --> 00:33:44,233
Speaking of faces nobody wants to see,
here it is, your moment of Cruz.
659
00:33:44,233 --> 00:33:47,694
I was out in West Texas
and I asked folks there, I said,
660
00:33:47,778 --> 00:33:52,616
"What's the difference
between regulators and locusts?"
661
00:33:53,492 --> 00:33:54,660
[summit audience laughing]
662
00:33:55,244 --> 00:33:59,665
Said, "Well, the thing is you can't
use pesticide on the regulators."
663
00:33:59,665 --> 00:34:01,500
[laughing continues]
664
00:34:01,500 --> 00:34:05,379
And this old West Texas farmer,
he leaned back, said, "Wanna bet?"
665
00:34:05,379 --> 00:34:06,880
[summit audience laughing]
666
00:34:06,964 --> 00:34:09,632
[audience laughing, applauding]