And then I wrote...

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that I have noted here before that the way a newspaper or television reporter feels about a story often indicates how that story will be treated.

A case in point is the effort by Iowa’s largest newspaper to make it appear the city of Waukee will cut a check for $213 million to Apple so Apple will locate a data center there.

Apple has said there will be 50 people employed at the center so opponents have done the math so it appears it will cost the city over $4 million per job.

Played down is the fact the city will actually be paying nothing to Apple. Instead, the city will “forgive” a portion of property taxes on the site for 20 years. It will collect $76 million in property taxes during that period.

What would the city get if Apple doesn’t build? Perhaps nothing. What if some other use is made of the property? Who knows?

While a percentage of property taxes due will be waived for 20 years, after 20 years the entire bill will be due annually.

What if Apple bails out before the end of the agreement? It could happen if the grass is greener elsewhere. Corporations are not generous individuals willing to lose money so as not to offend. Corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to investors and stockholders, so to waive that would be irresponsible, perhaps even illegal.

If they go, the city will have a property and building to offer, or Apple will get rid of it to another firm.

Also ignored is the fact that the city will collect sales tax and use tax, both from the construction and later the buyers of products..

One more thing. Apple has promised $100 million to a city improvement fund.

Anti-capitalist or anti-business slants don’t pay, they cost.

Another example of slanted opinion is the fuss one network made over the fact that the First Lady wore high heels on the walk from the White House to the helicopter for a trip to Texas to view flood damage.

When she arrived in Texas and got off the plane she was wearing tennis shoes.

But the left wing media wasn’t happy about that either, because they were white. The implication being that was a sexist color!

The same media applauded the vice-president’s wife’s attire, which appeared to be Mom jeans and an untucked-in top.

Was the First Lady cowed? In an apparent “in your face” statement, she wore what were described as snakeskin stilettos to the helicopter on the second trip to Texas.