General Dynamics doesn’t need more money

General Dynamics

I am writing to alert people to L.D. 1781, a Maine bill that would give $60 million of taxpayers’ money to General Dynamics, owners of Bath Iron Works.

Over the past 40 years, this company has squeezed more than $120 million out of the state government, the city of Portland, and the city of Bath. It now wants $60 million more from the state with the lowest per-capital income in New England, and plenty of budget needs of our own.

In 2016, General Dynamics made nearly $3 billion in profits, and paid its CEO $21.2 million. As of September 2017, it had $2.7 billion in cash and short-term investments. It certainly doesn’t need our money to make any improvements in the BIW plant.

Maine is not a cash cow for this greedy corporation to milk. America’s enormous defense budget (the largest in the world by far) provides plenty for them. Let’s keep Maine’s money here, to pay for our infrastructure, education, health care, and the other things we need. Tell your state senator and representative that you oppose L.D. 1781.

Claire Prontnicki

Waterville

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