LETTER: Let’s go get Amazon HQ2, but not leader’s politics

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It’s good news that Indianapolis and Indiana are planning to compete for the second North American HQ for Amazon. 

Amazon appears to be the dominant, rising corporation into at least the next 10 years. Securing the HQ would be an apparent coup and it appears we have competent political and business leaders to pull it off if the costs aren’t too high.

I am not concerned necessarily about upfront incentive, infrastructural and other financial costs to secure this “big deal.” Amazon promises 50,000 “high-paid” jobs. We are well-positioned to deliver on whatever promises we make and we should be able to get all of our poker chips on the table. We must make sure Amazon will deliver as well and, beyond that, we must make sure we are dealing with honorable businesspeople.

Lastly, we don’t want a “left-wing” capitalist changing our culture. Jeff Bezos is as capitalistic with his own money as anyone else and is very successful. However, he is very “socialistic” with everyone else’s money—meaning yours and mine.

I’d like us to win this competition but only if Bezos’ word can be counted on. He will count on the various competing communities to fall all over themselves courting him and his company. They will have to dot every “I” and cross every “T”. If he doesn’t do the same, it’s time to walk away.

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John Sorg

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