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Google-NASA Partnership Backlash
Morgalyn writes "Apparently having more jobs moving into the area isn't enough for Santa Clara County. They want some revenue from Google, and are peeved that they are avoiding paying property taxes by building on government land. According to a representative of the county, 'If public land is being used for private purposes, the tenants should be paying local property taxes... We have $30 million in unfunded retirement liabilities. We need the money.' They aren't getting the land for free according to NASA: 'Google will not save any money by building on our property. They have to pay full ground rent based on fair market value and all the municipal-like services we provide like police, fire and garbage.'"
What a petty, insignificant story... some local politician in some municipality whines about not getting property taxes when they're not supposed to be paid in the first place, and because GOOGLE is involved it's put on our beloved techno-news site. Ah well, it's Sunday.
Sure, google has done a great job at making a nice search engine and a few other goodies, but now we're talking about them working with Nasa, a governmental agency, to produce better tech.
Is it just me or does anyone else think this is a bad idea? We're talking about the same company that works with the chinese government to the internet here, and don't believe for a minute if china started telling google they wanted them out that google wouldn't start handing over info on what nasa is doing to the chinese.
And what are they going to use the goodies coming out of this for? You don't just do something like this without a plan.
By day, Eric Schmidt is a tax-n-spend, save-the-whales, let's-do-it-for-the-chil'run utopian kook
By night, he's an evil, conniving, mercantilist schmuck who abuses every tax loophole he can get his grubby little paws on.
So, in other words, he's a typical liberal, right?
Progressivism: Parasites helping parasites to help themselves - to other people's stuff.