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Hey, if they don't feel comfortable with masses of people coming to their towns who are of a different race/culture, it is their prerogative to say no. At least they are being honest about it.
What on earth made a company think that building a plant that employs 1100 in a town with a population of 400 was a good idea in the first place.
If Nickerson is a typical small, rural town in the midwest, they do not have the infrastructure, the businesses, the housing or the school system in place to support this, and it would require severely rapid change to even accommodate such a venture.
The large poultry or hog confinement/production plants are having a hard time finding a home.
The company does not care, they just want a cheap, low political power place to build.
You are correct regarding the infrastructure; everything will be over crowded, housing prices will skyrocket, and floods of people will be coming in along with those getting employed. Crime will go way up, and everything will just turn to s**t in that town.
Oh yea, the smell is lovely also, towns that are large have political power to keep those things away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by katzpaw
Why build a processing plant ... in Nickerson instead of nearby larger city?
Because it smells and small towns have almost no political power. Additionally, I am surprised by the outcome of this, usually towns like this have a few in control who would profit off of this, then move out when things turn the place into a ghetto.
I suspect the reason for choosing a small town for their processing plant is they expected to be able to bribe their way into permission. Apparently they ran into a set of politicians that valued their constituents over their personal wealth. That is all too rare in our country. I admire this community to overcome the Will of Mammon.
A reason for not locating in a larger city is the politicians would want bigger bribes, the locals might form a union and the Environmental regulators would insist the owners spend what ever it takes to eliminate the smell. Give the realities of this business maybe they should set up their facilities in an abandoned ghost town. As the business will only employ illegal immigrants they will not need any local labor or have to build any infrastructure more complicated than using a field as a huge squatters camp without any roads, water or sanitation. That would be ideal for the company's bottom line.
I suspect the reason for choosing a small town for their processing plant is they expected to be able to bribe their way into permission. Apparently they ran into a set of politicians that valued their constituents over their personal wealth. That is all too rare in our country. I admire this community to overcome the Will of Mammon.
A reason for not locating in a larger city is the politicians would want bigger bribes, the locals might form a union and the Environmental regulators would insist the owners spend what ever it takes to eliminate the smell. Give the realities of this business maybe they should set up their facilities in an abandoned ghost town. As the business will only employ illegal immigrants they will not need any local labor or have to build any infrastructure more complicated than using a field as a huge squatters camp without any roads, water or sanitation. That would be ideal for the company's bottom line.
There are plenty of examples of small towns welcoming meat processing plants, where the rapid changes to the town quickly transform it into something the residents can't even recognize. The residents would move away or die off, leaving the town completely changed and 100% reliant upon a single employer.
While I don't deny there's some xenophobia involved here, that's to be expected. These are people who have likely lived in this town for generations, and the prospect of the town growing from 400 long-time residents to 1500 residents who don't share your culture or language is a recipe for disaster. In addition, the town would have to rapidly expand its infrastructure, schools, etc. to meet the demand of the higher population.
The small town of Lexington, NE became home to a meat packing plant about 25 years ago and over ten years the population of the town grew by 40% and its currently 60% Hispanic. Neighboring town Cozad is very similar to what Lexington was like before the plant came to town and comparing the two towns today, Lexington has a crime rate 300% higher than Cozad. Educational attainment between the two towns (high school or higher): Lexington:54% / Cozad 86%. Not encouraging statistics.
This town is facing a similar scenario, but instead of 40% growth, they're looking at 300% growth. Its easy to understand why they oppose it.
I heard years ago that when Garden City KS was considering allowing a meat processing plant to be built there a delegation from Lexington went there to discourage the town from approving it, citing all the problems Lexington had experienced since allowing a processing plant in their town. Don't know if Garden City listened to the Lex delegation or not. I think Lexington regrets their decision of 25 years ago. Now it is mainly Somalis that work in the plant in Lexington.
If they wanted to attract American labor, they would not put a plant that employs 1,100 near a town with a population of 400. Think about it.
lol exactly
That town doesn't even have enough people to staff the plant, even if everyone quit their jobs to go work there. It's obvious that the point is to bring in labor from somewhere else.
And anyone who knows anything about meat processing, will tell you that the business model is built around low wage visas and and illegal immigrant labor. The ol, "American's won't do this job" scam.
1,000 Mexicans moving there to live off subsidized housing and to work fairly low paying jobs. Yes, I can see where the local residents might not want their community becoming a basket case.
...it is their prerogative to say no. At least they are being honest about it.
Indeed. Nothing controversial about it.
[the people have spoken]
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