Some spy plane work moving to Mississippi

[Judi Lynn]

Some spy plane work moving to Mississippi
Northrop Grumman will produce fuselages for Global Hawk unmanned surveillance planes in Moss Point
Saturday, February 19, 2005
By GEORGE TALBOT
Business Reporter

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Northrop Grumman Corp., looking to cut the manufacturing cost of its cutting-edge Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, said Friday it will move production of the airplane's fuselage to its aviation center in Moss Point, bringing 60 high-paying jobs to Jackson County.

The Global Hawk, a high-tech surveillance plane that has become a weapon in the war against terrorism, currently is assembled in Palmdale, Calif. The Air Force wants the planes to fly farther, faster and carry heavier payloads, but the added capabilities threaten to push the plane's cost above funding levels set by the Department of Defense.

The Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman said it will spend $4 million to expand its so-called Unmanned Systems Center at the Trent Lott International Airport to include production of the Global Hawk fuselage, which will be trucked to Palmdale for final assembly.

"Expanding operations at this low-cost manufacturing center in Moss Point enables Northrop Grumman to directly respond to our customers' desire to manage costs and provide the best-value solution for their acquisition dollar," said Chris Hernandez, vice president of Northrop Grumman's unmanned systems division.
(snip/...)

http://www.al.com/business/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/business/1108808188266900.xml

[punpirate]

1. No mention of...

... the long-term costs to the community underwriting 90% of the construction costs (why didn't Northrup Grumman just pay for the expansion itself?).

No mention of the fact that the jobs depend on an ever-expanding defense budget.

No mention of other tax breaks to Northrup Grumman.

No mention of how it ends up in Trent Lott's district.

No mention of any connections or contributions of the constructor or the contractor to Lott's campaigns.

No mention of how many better-paying jobs this will cost in California.

No mention of how much Northrup Grumman expects to profit from this change to a "low-cost manufacturing center."

No mention of how many of the proposed jobs will be filled from out of state.

No mention of how many people will be forced to move to keep their jobs, or at what cost to them.

[saigon68]

3. Political Payoff for FUCK-FACE LOTT

A good deal for everyone who has bribed their way to this PAY-OFF.

Thugs and criminals all

Kind of like the Mafia dividing up New York City.

[MaineDem]

2. From a blue state to a red...coincidence?

Seems pretty obvious to me.

I'm waiting for ALL the work from Bath Iron Works in Maine to move to Mississippi, as well. I don't want to see it but I'm afraid it'll happen.

[proudbluestater]

4. " low-cost manufacturing center"

The Repukes have a big problem with paying people enough wages to survive on, don't they?

While we hear about daily about the dastardly outsourcing to other countries, I would like to see some stats on the MIGRATION of jobs WITHIN this country's borders. How many manufacturing jobs have been lost from the "rust belt" to the southern states effectively taking a middle class pay rate and converting it instantly to a lower class pay rate.

[quaoar]

5. Trent Lott is from the coast

And has carried on a long tradition of bringing defense-related work to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Sen. John Stennis was the king when it came to that. There is a rocket motor plant on the coast named after him. He and Lott have brought billions in contracts to the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula.

And Stennis was primarily responsible for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which Pat Moynihan once referred to as the cloning of the Mississippi River.

Across the Pearl River in New Orleans East, Lockheed-Martin has a facility where they design the external tanks for the space shuttle. That plant is there because of the influence of Hale Boggs and Russell Long.

This goes on all over the country. It used to go on a lot more in years past, especially in the South, because there were many congressional Democrats who had amassed great seniority and became powerful committee chairmen -- senators like Stennis and Long, Jim Eastland from Mississippi, Herman Talmedge from Georgia, etc.

[bobthedrummer]

6. Private Military Companies, The Carlyle Group and George W. Bush

that's how the Bush family has adapted to the 21st century they've bought an army of mercenaries with our taxes.

Trent Lott looks like hell. Now they're going to build robot spy planes in "low cost" Mississippi:puke::argh::grr: