As a government official in washington, what action would you take to keep a business from relocationg?

Question

In the moovie Roger & me, the relocation of GM from Flint, Michigan created mass layoffs and social devastation, can the government do anything to prevent this from happening again?

Answer 1

tax cuts, and 'incentives'

Answer 2

Good questions. As seemingly one of the last hold-outs for "Buy American," I understand the need for maintaining our ability to keep jobs here in the USA. I think it's time to hit the foreign companies in their wallets. Unless US products have equal opportunity, things will continue to spiral downward. Taxing the imports directly will cause uprisings in the foreign country--too bad!!! What else can be done without damaging our economy further? We can't reduce wages. We can't reduce quality. The cost of an item in the US has to be per unitized with the incoming levels of the foreign competition. These "taxes" could go into incentives for companies that choose to remain here or want to re-locate back. We like to think that we have a fair market economy, but what's so fair about foreign competition using the next thing to slave labor when compared to family-sustaining wages. In essence, we are allowing to happen in foreign countries what was fought for so vigorously in this country the last 150 years or so--employee protection/rights. But I don't think that you will be seeing labor unions in communist China any time soon.

Answer 3

offer tax cuts and incentives to stay in country and better yet in town...Federal and State...and Doing something about free trade this is one of the major factors in out sourcing

Answer 4

There is nothing they can do to force a plant to stay.

What they can do is cut some kind of deal with the owners of the plant to make keeping it open profitable.