Remember when we told you about all those great new jobs coming to Michigan in the auto industry? The story has unfolded a bit more and folks are starting to ask some serious questions about two key manufacturing plants.
Things might not be as good as we first thought. In fact, both a truckload of tax dollars and the very permission to begin building the plants is at stake.
What’s going on?!?!
Here are Five Fast Facts about Michigan’s auto jobs:
- 🇨🇳 The Party…Er, Parties Involved, Part 1 - The company hoping to build and operate a battery plant in Big Rapids is Gotion, a Chinese-owned company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. You know, the same CCP that says anything business-related is also military-related and thus they have a right to control it. It’s in the contract, in case you were wondering.
- 🇨🇳 The Party…Er, Parties Involved, Part 2 - The Ford plant in Marshall is involved with a different Chinese company. Ford says they are just licensing the tech rather than partnering with the Chinese company. Ford also says that no tax dollars will go to China. But is that really how it's going to be?
- 👍 The People Cheering on this Plan - Supporters say these new plants will bring thousands of new jobs and reinforce the idea of Michigan as a global hotspot for high tech automaking. They dismiss any security or environmental risks. THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
- 👎 The Pushback - Hundreds of locals gathered to protest these decisions, claiming risk from Chinese companies buying farmland needed to produce local crops, risk from the plants causing environmental damage, and risks to national security. They also claim the vote by state lawmakers was rushed to avoid public exposure. By the way, there is a base for training friendly Taiwanese military forces (i.e. enemies of China) near where these plants will be built. Total coincidence: definitely NOT a recipe for international spying operations…
- ✔️ The Passage - Despite the growing concern and public ruckus – and 85% disapproval of local residents – Michigan lawmakers voted to approve the projects, 10-9. Gotta’ love all that great representation, huh?
🔥Bottom line: Everything might be fine, and these plants might be delivered without a bit of influence from China or Chinese companies. New jobs are certainly great, and that means great things for Paychecks, which we always love to see.
But a lot of concerning questions went unanswered in all this. Perhaps the biggest is: why wasn’t an American company engaged to build and operate these auto plants?
What do you think of these developments?
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