Big Lubowski
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Posts posted by Big Lubowski
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Of course, there are other issues with Fufeng, which have been argued at the city council and noted in numerous letters to the editor of the GF Herald.
Smell. Corn milling plants apparently emit sulphur dioxide. The Fufeng representative said they would use all available technology to "mediate" any smells coming from the plant. (His answer was much more PR conscious than the rep for the proposed fertilizer plant who said "It will smell like money!" Nice!) Mediate doesn't mean eliminate. Expect the plant to emit smells, which GF already has its fair share of.
Water. Apparently, this plant will use as much water as the city of GF uses right now. That's pretty astonishing. But, city reps say they've got the ability to make that much water available. Just hope they're right and they do have that ability.
Truck Traffic. Fufeng estimates 200 trucks a day. Thats a fair amount of traffic. Ever drive I80 thru Nebraska? Gateway is going to be very similar...
So, there are economic issues and there are quality of life issues.
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50 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:
Agreed, except when the new business is receiving millions in tax breaks/government subsidies.
You beat me to it!
29 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:Amazon put up a million square feet and added about 1000 jobs at $18 per in Fargo. They're making it work in the same labor market conditions.
A couple things on that. First, you'd have to agree that Fargo's labor pool is much deeper than GF's. But, even knowing that, I know several employers in Fargo that can't fill positions. Heck, I know an employer in MSP that cant even get applicants for $20+ an hour warehouse jobs. I also know of a restaurant or two in Fargo that have closed because they can't get workers. And Amazon is still looking for workers. So, even with a much deeper labor pool, Fargo employers are having issues.
But, the bigger question is--Did Amazon receive funding or tax breaks from the city of Fargo. I can't find that they did--correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm a big free market proponent. Capitalism has freed more people, and rescued more from poverty, than any economic system ever.
What I have a problem with is tilting the playing field. (Some would call it corporate welfare.) And don't get me wrong, GF is hardly the first city to throw itself at the feet of a large corporation promising jobs. But, is it really what our governments should be doing, rather than letting the marketplace determine what businesses survive and what businesses start up?
Let's put the Fufeng project into some perspective. They're "promising" 233 jobs. I'm going to assume about 5% of those are management jobs, mid and upper level. So, you'll have about 2-3 people moving into GF's exclusive neighborhoods from Fufeng; you'll have about 10 moving into upper middle class neighborhoods, and the rest will be blue collar. An average sit down restaurant employs 50-60 employees, including a GM, several asst GMs, shift managers, kitchen managers, front of house managers, cooks and servers. It would take about 4 restaurants to equal the Fufeng hiring. So, Fufeng isn't nothing, but it's not a Microsoft campus either.
So, life will go on in GF with or without Fufeng. Fufeng will "make it work" as will the employers in GF that are able to hire enough people to run their business. Just remember that we, through our city government, gave Fufeng a large helping hand while making things more difficult for long time GF businesses.
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7 hours ago, gfNDfan said:
The idea of a new business/industry is to DRAW people to town - not draw/drain the local labor pool. This will - because they can't fill all these jobs locally - much like when Marvin Windows and Amazon come to town - the salaries and prospects are the draw. It's called economic development.
I think you missed one of my points. The labor market is tight nationwide. While the few management positions may draw people from other areas of the country, the vast majority of the 233 jobs the factory is going to create must be filled by the unskilled labor pool, which will not draw from the rest of country because of the tight labor market. So, those employees will need to come from the pool of workers already employed in GF.
4 hours ago, Cratter said:Weak businesses don't survive when competition arrives.
Competition drives higher wages.
If a business cannot afford to keep up maybe they shouldn't be in business.
I would be interested to hear your definition of a "weak" business. For example, is a Mom & Pop store that's been in business for many years, paying its taxes to the city of GF and training and employing unskilled workers, a "weak" business because it can't compete with wages offered by an international company that is getting $96 million in infrastructure subsidies from the city and won't have to pay real estate taxes, like the Mom & Pop store does, for many years?
The unskilled labor pool from which this plant will fill most of the 233 jobs it says it will create is the same pool used by GF construction companies, bars & restaurants, C stores, retailers, elderly care facilities, and many others. So, those businesses, with their taxes, are subsidizing Fufeng, so it can pay higher wages for their employees.
The Fufeng development is much different than a business coming to town from somewhere else, or a new one started by someone from GF, and competing on a level playing field with GF employers. In that scenario, I have no problem saying to businesses already here to go compete. But, this is not that.
Bottom line is that to stay in business, the present GF employers will have to compete, albeit against somewhat unfair competition. And they will have to pay more. And they will have to pass on the increases to their customers in order to stay in business. So, be prepared to pay more for your gas, your burger, your elder care, etc, etc., etc. Maybe it's worth it in the long run...
It's a little like billionaire NFL team owners asking cities, or rather, their taxpayers, to subsidize their new stadiums. If their business model doesn't support the new stadium, maybe they shouldn't build it. In their case, the business model probably does support the full cost of the stadium; the owner would just rather someone else pay for it.
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Has anyone, the city, or those opposing Fufeng, focused on how this corn milling plant would affect other employers in GF? Unemployment in GF is essentially zero now. Fufeng’s employees have to come from the GF labor pool mostly, as unemployment nation wide is very low so no one is coming to ND for these jobs. So, those Fufeng employees have to come from other employers, don’t they? Won’t this put some presently operating businesses out of business? Is shuttering already operating businesses in favor of a new business sound economic development? It doesn’t seem like a tide that will lift all boats…
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8 minutes ago, Siouxperfan7 said:
But I was told the ecomomy is doing great??
The article says they were having labor problems---like all other restaurants. So, I don't think it was necessarily an issue of people not coming out. But, if you've got no one to wait on them or cook their meal, I guess it doesn't really matter.
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1 hour ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:
the old whitey's building is a weird one..you have the old building that was never a restaurant before the flood iirc.....then the lumpy raised up front new addition in 1998...feels like two different buildings/restaurants when its open.
said this in 1998....whitey's should have moved in 2 buidlings on 3rd street in GF...the ely ivy building and the one to the north and recreated the EXACT layout of the old wonderbar, side bar, back back and the world's most crowded and cramped but awesome dining room they squeezed into essentially a closet that they had in egf before the flood.....
the blue moose also should/could add in a true rooftop deck on TOP of the building....you could see in 4 directions from way up there....it would be pretty awesome.
wish molly the best with that sickie's buidling but i would have envisioned someting smaller with more history...maybe a cafe in the blue building in GF (northern supply i think) connected to tea and crepe or ....buy out the PBR and make a true old fashioned cafe/diner in that buidling with a lot of glass right on the corner between rhombus brewery and all the spots going north of 3rd steet
You sound like a Yelp reviewer—got all the answers.
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2 minutes ago, Wilbur said:
Matteo
Not sure I’ve seen a name misspelled as much as Matteo’s; it’s Costantini. Only 2 ns, not 3…
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15 hours ago, SiouxBoys said:
Having watched every single game this year, this team is much better than a team who should just have their effort applauded. The standards for this program need to rise and these ladies have earned enough respect for that to happen. Watching them lose a game tonight that they were in control of is not acceptable and claiming "well at least we're competing" is selling them short.
Whatever. You're a glass half empty guy; some of us are glass half full guys. And I've always wondered what it means when a fan says that a loss is not acceptable. So if you don't accept the loss does that mean it didn't happen? Or that you're going to do something about it? (And if you are, what is that?)
Bitch all you want; that's what fan forums are for. But, criticizing others for seeing something positive in the program seems a little peevish. What did Oscar Wilde say? "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."
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40 minutes ago, SiouxBoys said:
Calling you out for being content with a moral victory is a cheap shot? Yikes.
The problem with your "fan" response is it misses the point he was making--the team is much better this year. And yes that is something to celebrate. Not only are they competing on the road, they're frequently winning on the road. So, a loss tonight is not good, but the fight in the team is good for the long view. They're much better and they're going to get even better than this, so there is much room for optimism. Yay for optimism.
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21 hours ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:
CC is already playing better under Moyette. Frankly, nobody affiliated with that Blackhawks coaching staff from their scandal should be employed; not sure if that impacted their parting ways with Haviland or not, but their play tonight was encouraging. Wouldn't be surprised to see them steal more points than expected in the second half. Yesterday's game never really felt in question after the first period, but they responded well and kept it close tonight. Another strong team in the conference is always welcome, and while they aren't there yet, their fans have something to look forward to.
Off topic, but have you read the Jenner & Block report on the situation with the Blackhawks? I strongly recommend you do that before further impugning the whole coaching staff.
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Minor matter, but the kid deserves to have his name spelled right--Matteo Costantini. Just 2 Ns.
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So, by my count there are 6 new restaurants coming to town. But the ones that are here apparently have significant staffing problems and many are limiting hours and closing Sundays because of those problems. I’ve heard rumors that a few of the new restaurants are physically ready to open but can’t because of staff problems. Wonder how this is going to work out in the end. More closures ala Sickies?
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GF, the city bureaucracy, has a rep for being difficult to deal with—ask any developer from out of town. That goes a long way in people making development decisions, when there are alternatives, and there always are. (I think if Bochenski just changes that, he’ll have accomplished a lot.)
And there can be more anti-outsider bias in GF than in Fargo, imho... That’s certainly a subjective view but one that is shared by more than a few.
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8 hours ago, Hammersmith said:
Ehh, more like 50 years. Can't really compare GF and Fargo; you need to compare Greater GF and the FM metro.
Year - GreaterGF/FMMetro/FM bigger than GGF percent
1960 - 84,859/106,027/+25%
1970 - 95,537/120,238/+26%
1980 - 100,944/137,574/+36%
1990 - 103,181/153,296/+49%
2000 - 97,487/174,367/+79%
2010 - 98,461/208,777/+112%
2018 - 102,299/245,471/+140%Do you have the same numbers for the Bismarck/Mandan metro? It would be interesting to see if those more closely followed Fargo or GF? I’m betting the former...
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- Popular Post
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Whether we believe Chauvin is guilty or not, we certainly cannot be proud of the way our system worked, or was worked, in this situation. Our politicians are assumed to have taken civics class, so they’re supposed to know about the separate branches of government, the Bill of rights, and a thing called due process.
One always needs to put himself in the position of the person on trial. Can a fair trial, (and that’s what our system is supposed to guarantee) really be had when there is essentially a mob outside the courthouse threatening to pillage and burn if the “wrong” verdict is returned?
Then throw in our intrepid pols, like Mad Maxine and our Prez making their feelings known long before the verdict and where does a juror find himself. Probably saying “wth, we need to convict this guy so our community doesn’t suffer.” And what’s sad is that’s exactly what the mob, mad Maxine, & the Prez wanted. They really should think deeper about our country, and what this republic stands for, than that.
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20 minutes ago, gfhockey said:
Good. Glad to see locals get a chance to shine
also like how bubba did it grows a fan base locally
eont grow a fan base in Michigan
Present roster has 4 girls from ND; 8 girls from MN; 1 from Iowa. Considering there aren’t that many DI players from ND, that seems pretty local.
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33 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:
That or is at 3. Remember, we beat the Jacks. They are a brand name and we get bonus points for being in Teh Valley. #meatgauntlet
Agreed. But, it seems like UND never moves up as much as might be expected. Even if it's 5, that's impressive. And I know, who cares about the polls, but they do affect who's in the playoffs so no harm in watching them.
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"Logically," based on what happened yesterday, the top five this week would probably be something like this:
1) James Madison
2) Weber St.
3) Kennesaw
4) Nicholls
5) UND
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11 hours ago, MoSiouxFan said:
5. NDSU
6. UND
7. SDSU
1 North Dakota State (40) 2-0 1000 Lost Badly 2 James Madison 1-0 952 2 won-Robert Morris 36-16 3 South Dakota State 1-0 918 5 Lost 4 Weber State 0-0 882 4 Won Idaho St 49-21 5 Northern Iowa 0-1 785 3 Won Younstown St 21-0 (Bison beat Youngstown 25-7) 6 Villanova 0-0 782 8 Haven't played yet 7 Illinois State 0-0 730 9 Lost USD 27-20 8 Kennesaw State 0-0 686 10 Won Shorter(?) 35-3 9 Nicholls 1-0 665 14 Won Lamar 55-0 10 Furman 1-0 658 15 Lost VMI 14-13 11 Wofford 1-0 565 16 Lost Chatanooga 24-13 12 Eastern Washington 0-0 502 18 Lost Idaho 28-21 13 Albany 0-0 475 17 no games yet--and no 2021 schedule that I could find 14 North Dakota 1-0 401 NR
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6 hours ago, Kab said:
Frenchys and the mugs and the westward ho and the peanut bar with the piano player
I believe Carl was the piano player there forever.
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2 hours ago, UNDColorado said:
This had me rolling!
I didn’t watch. Who said it? And in what context? Thanks.
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1 hour ago, Oxbow6 said:
#savelives
Saves lives? Really? Our governors decided long ago to make the hospitality industry the whipping boy for spreading Covid. But the science? Well, a recent Wall Street Journal editorial pointed out that the state of New York's own contract tracing data showed that restaurants & bars accounted for a mere 1.4% of the virus spread. But it didn't stop the state from shutting them down. Many of these restaurants have undertaken herculean efforts to make their customers safe from the virus spread, but that has had no effect on shutdown hysteria. It's the arbitrariness of these shutdown orders, the failure to weigh any of the downside of these orders against whatever upside they calculate, and the absolute resolute conviction that they will help, even in the face of contrary evidence, that drives businesses such as Boardwalk to do what they did. Here's the WSJ editorial: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-restaurant-lockdown-massacre-11607730189?mod=opinion_major_pos1
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3 hours ago, jdub27 said:
In no way a fan of Ellison but did EGF quit taking money from St Paul and everyone missed it or....?
I don't want to get into politics either, but I'm kind of guessing the money ran the other way--from EGF to St Paul, in income and sales taxes, alcohol license fees, restaurant license fees, etc. etc. etc. Politicians tend to forget that fact--that any money the government has came from its constituents.
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They've only played 3 games so far, in a very weird season. And they've been in all 3, even against Marquette. She has not had a chance to show anything yet. She's a super competitor. (She coached her old high school team to 2 state championships in the interim between playing at UND and coaching here.) I think Mallory is going to surprise some people.
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Grand Forks Economy
in Community
Posted
Strawman argument. But, at the same time, everybody complains about their property taxes. Especially in GF. But, have you ever seen property taxes come down--at least by a significant amount?
And this is so often presented as an either/or argument--we either do this or we do nothing. Not true. We can do other things, and as I suggested above, let the market expand organically. We could have said the same thing about the giant aquarium guys that wanted a subsidy--either we do that or we do nothing. Again, not true.