Strangers In Their Own Land Analysis
In his car, traversing through his hometown of Westlake, Louisiana, Mayor Hardey has implemented all of the policies that a Republican could ask for: he has invested immense amounts of money towards foreign oil companies like Sasol, he did not implement heavy taxes, he has worked towards deregulation of these oil companies, and as a result, he was worked towards the expansion of industry, in hopes for a promise that their town and their State as whole, will become prosperous and wealthy. Despite this, he admits, “So Westlake is broke. Meanwhile, Sasol hasn’t given me a dime.” Although the writing should be on the wall here, that the companies simply aren’t giving the money the people in this state actually need, the people of Louisiana have
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In her book, she explains the policies that the politicians in Louisiana have enacted, policies which have attracted the oil companies amidst the fracking boom, and those policies that they have passed caused greater damage to the state than people realize. One example is Governor Bobby Jindal, who “lowered corporate income taxes so that state revenue from such companies fell from $703 million in 2008 to $290 million in 2012.” To entice these companies, he had to actively cut the state’s own revenue, subsequently causing an effect that caused major repercussions on the state itself. After she mentions such facts, Dr. Templet, a person she is interviewing, responded to the policies that enticed these oil companies by simply saying, “It causes other jobs to disappear or simply inhibits other sectors.” It is exactly what happened. It caused the state to cut over 30,000 public sector jobs such as nurses, technicians, and teachers. It also caused industries that relied on the environment such as fishing, to drastically decline due to the pollution caused by the oil companies. But even with all of the damage these policies had on the state, the people in Louisiana continue to believe that it will create prosperity in the long run, due to the principle of “trickle-down” economics, which is to let the rich have less taxes and cuts so they can spend more and invest on the lower classes as a result. However, this is not the case, and not addressing the massive wealth gap that has emerged will have greater consequences towards the people than they could have ever
In her book, she explains the policies that the politicians in Louisiana have enacted, policies which have attracted the oil companies amidst the fracking boom, and those policies that they have passed caused greater damage to the state than people realize. One example is Governor Bobby Jindal, who “lowered corporate income taxes so that state revenue from such companies fell from $703 million in 2008 to $290 million in 2012.” To entice these companies, he had to actively cut the state’s own revenue, subsequently causing an effect that caused major repercussions on the state itself. After she mentions such facts, Dr. Templet, a person she is interviewing, responded to the policies that enticed these oil companies by simply saying, “It causes other jobs to disappear or simply inhibits other sectors.” It is exactly what happened. It caused the state to cut over 30,000 public sector jobs such as nurses, technicians, and teachers. It also caused industries that relied on the environment such as fishing, to drastically decline due to the pollution caused by the oil companies. But even with all of the damage these policies had on the state, the people in Louisiana continue to believe that it will create prosperity in the long run, due to the principle of “trickle-down” economics, which is to let the rich have less taxes and cuts so they can spend more and invest on the lower classes as a result. However, this is not the case, and not addressing the massive wealth gap that has emerged will have greater consequences towards the people than they could have ever