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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

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Whirlpool CEO blasts Benton Harbor, protesters

By Eartha Jane Melzer | 06.17.11 | 2:52 pm

On the eve of a planned demonstration against the suspension of local rule in Benton Harbor, Free Press business columnist Tom Walsh warns that the hassles and embarrassment of recent political tumult may drive the locally-headquartered Whirlpool corporation out of town.

Following a tour of the new World of Whirlpool customer experience center in Chicago and an interview with CEO Jeff Fettig, Walsh writes that Michigan is in danger of losing Whirlpool.

Though Whirlpool is in the process of modernizing its headquarters complex in Benton Harbor, the nearly 100-year-old appliance giant may chose to relocate, he writes.

Can such loyalty to the historic hometown last, though, if Benton Harbor becomes a recurring national sad-sack story of fiscal insolvency, dysfunctional politics and racial strife?

The city has recently received unflattering attention from Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Even its annual Blossomtime parade last month was marred by protests against Gov. Rick Snyder and local officials, stemming from controversy over actions by Joe Harris, the city’s state-appointed emergency manager…

Jeff Fettig, Whirlpool’s CEO, talked last week about his company’s values — integrity, respect, a spirit of winning — being in lockstep with the southwest Michigan community where it’s based. But when I asked him about Benton Harbor’s chronic fiscal woes, and about the city’s loopy officials initially balking at accepting $3.8 million in donations to help out, he lamented the city’s “outdated political structure” and the actions of a few local “rabble-rousers.”

Today’s Whirlpool executives may insist that southwest Michigan is their corporate home — and they may mean every word of it. Today.

But it sure is easy to imagine a future Whirlpool headquarters in downtown Chicago if Benton Harbor doesn’t get its act together.

…

Cities or states that make it a hassle or an embarrassment to be a corporate citizen won’t have any left.

The state of Michigan has tried to keep Whirlpool by giving it millions of dollars in tax breaks and supporting Harbor Shores, a company-backed project that built an elite private golf course on Benton Harbor’s public lakefront.

Comments

  • Anonymous

    Same old threat from Whirlpool to we, the residents of the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph area have listened to for at least 30 years.  We are the people who do, indeed, with our tax dollars pay to the state and local governments that money which allows them not to pay in taxes.  A lot of the reason Benton Harbor wound up in financial is that Whirlpool, as well as many other manufacturing companies, moved their manufacturing plants out of the area because they hated unions.  The article doesn’t mention that Gov. Jennifer Granholm handed Whirlpool a check for 18 million dollars to use toward their new corporate office buildings in Benton Harbor that doesn’t involve adding a single new job to the local economy.  Continuing to threaten the community and its residents doesn’t serve Whirlpool or Mr. Fettig well.

    • http://profiles.google.com/axualgroup J A

      Whirlpool doesn’t hate unions.  That’s a ridiculous statement.  Unions have however contributed to financial challenges in both the public and private sector.  Just ask GM.  Just ask dozens of state governments.  

      Unions may have a place, but I am sick and tired of people believing they are entitled their retirement and medical insurance simply because they serve or have work for company … pensions and insurance is breaking the backs of many states and many companies.

      Benton Harbor city officials have a history of poorly managing the city and its finances.  This is fact.  They continue to take the tact that they are victims.  This too is ridiculous.  Whirlpool is not perfect, no company is.  But they are in business to make a profit.  That’s the point.  If that means moving manufacturing or consolidating buildings, that’s what’s required.

      To be honest, a business should not pay any taxes.  A company or corporation is a piece of paper.  People pay taxes.  Unfortunately, we have a poorly designed tax system that forces people to pay taxes on income vs. what they consume.  It’s unfair.  Always has been.

      Whirlpool is not the problem.  The system and those officials elected to serve the public are the problem.

      • Anonymous

        Sorry to disagree, but a company or corporation is not merely a “piece of paper”
        based on the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case which says
        corporations are people and are, therefore, allowed to give as much money as
        they like to candidates in elections.

        The issue was about Whirlpool when their CEO threatens to move its headquarters
        if we don’t pay for their airport and its maintenance, run Benton Harbor to
        their liking and do everything to help them attract employees for their tax
        exempt endeavor.  You can worship corporations if you like, but I don’t choose
        to do so.

        As for unions, please don’t act as though the companies have no representation
        in contract talks.  People like you tend to think the union dictates everything
        in a contract. 

        ________________________________

        • http://profiles.google.com/axualgroup J A

          Corporate profits are passed to shareholders (including shares held by pensions and 401Ks).  Capital gains distributed to those shareholders are then taxed.  

          So first the company is taxed on profits, and then those profits are passed to shareholders who then pay taxes on those gains again.How does this make sense?  Businesses should not pay taxes on income, people should.

          Incentives are given to businesses to reduce tax liability which is a good thing given the ridiculous tax code we have. Much of those incentives have to do with buying other stuff from other companies such as capital equipment and other expenses in order to do business.

          People complain about Whirlpool … buy why exactly? Because they take advantage of tax incentives passed by legislatures that are voted in by citizens?

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1580611162 Betsy Rose

        J A
        What kind of country do you want to live in?  It sounds like North Korea.  No pensions?  People should just work till they die?  No retirement?  How old are you?  Have you any idea what happens to the human body as it ages?  Certainly not a person that cares about the well being of others.  You definetly belong in North Korea. 

        • http://profiles.google.com/axualgroup J A

          Why is a business responsible for peoples pensions and medical insurance?  It’s a simple question.  Early on, it may have been a good idea to offer a benefit … but the problem with this practice, and indeed welfare and other government programs that simply redistribute other peoples money is that it builds a dependent society.  And that’s exactly what’s happened.  Individual responsibility to plan, save, eat better, take care of your health, etc. is being destroyed.

          Sure, we should help those who truly need the help … but we are quickly becoming a society who is reliant on handouts.  It’s a bad idea.

          • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1580611162 Betsy Rose

            Pensions aren’t hand outs.  That is money a person earned that is put away for their retirement pension.  Medical insurance is usually paid by the employee who is WORKING and the employer who is making money from the work of the employee.  If you don’t want any of this structure, fine.  But don’t push this on those of us who do.  It works until the corporations get greedy or become inhuman toward their employees.

    • Anonymous

      Well said.  It’s time to quit yielding to blackmail from these outsourcing slugs.

  • Anonymous

    What I got out of this article..  ”sit down and shut up”.

  • Anonymous

    Wouldn’t want to be troubled by that little “outdated political structure” called democracy – right Jeff? Good corporate citizenship involves a partnership with the  citizens.  Sorry, but no excuses.  I’d say you have a lot of work to do – and your company would be a lot better off if you would just do it right!

    P.S. If you need any help in this department please feel free to let us know. We would be happy to assist you.

  • TroubleCominEveryday

    Why don’t the people take those tax dollars and start up  companies that are worker/community owned and make the same products as Whirlpool and tell Whirlpool to go screw itself.  Its this rotten behavior on the part of business owners that shows that capitalism is not an economic model that can be relied on. It destabilizes communities,states and nations. The owners and management are so arrogant and disconnected and really don’t care what they do to others. Its really the problem with Profits, Property and Privilege before People.

  • Anonymous

    Does this man understand the “unflattering” attention from Colbert and Maddow was directed at whirlpool, snyder, and, as Colbert put it, the EF’M, joe harris?

    As Maddow pointed out, whirlpool no longer manufactures in BH, and with $20 billion in revenue in the last two years, it managed to receive money from various levels of government without paying ANY taxes.

    With corporations like whirlpool, its no wonder the towns they are based in have high unemployment and large deficits.

    **** you fettig, **** you snyder, **** you harris, and **** off whirlpool!

    Leave BH so we can turn your hq into something useful like a homeless shelter.

    This blatant abrasiveness from capitalists like fettig, snyder, and romney with that unemployed joke he delivered in florida will not stand.

    Watch it, because soon, the working class will start fighting back.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1580611162 Betsy Rose

    “The state of Michigan has tried to keep Whirlpool by giving it millions of dollars in tax breaks and supporting Harbor Shores, a company-backed project that built an elite private golf course on Benton Harbor’s public lakefront.”

    HOW COULD THEY BUILD THIS ELITE PRIVATE GOLF COURSE ON PUBLIC LAND?  PRIVATE! PRIVATE! ON PUBLIC LAND?  Whirlpool isn’t creating any jobs so what does it give to the State of Michigan?

  • http://zeraland.wordpress.com/ Zera Lee

    When will the peasants of Benton Harbor realize that they live in a company town? /sarcasm

    BH is a symptom of how the interests of America and the interests of Corporate America have parted ways.

    The best argument in favor of regulation is exhibited in the routine, and often catastrophic, failures of uncontrolled capitalism.

  • Anonymous

    If you reread the article, you will notice that Jeff Fettig NEVER threatened to pull Whirlpool out of SW Michigan. Rather, the writer recited numerous reasons why they would have every reason to.

    This community has benefitted from having a Fortune 500 company here. Were they to leave, the ENTIRE local economy would collapse. Is that what you all really want? There would be way to support Lakeland Hospital, the local restaurants, shops, etc, etc. Our homes would become worth less than they already are.

    During an economic downturn like this one, we need EVERYBODY working together to improve the community, rather than condemning those who actually support the economy and the community.

    It’s very easy to have bravado on an anonymous forum. I stand behind my words with my name.

    • Anonymous

      posting your real name is of no danger when your rhetoric is identical to that of the puppeteers 

      • Anonymous

        and no real communication can result if nobody knows who the other is.

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