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Moore's Machines incentives deal

This morning, at the Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting, I found myself in a very peculiar position - one which I had not been in before.
I was in total agreement with conservative Commissioner Linda Shook on an issue.
I am not saying that Shook's points are never valid. I have always found her to be a well-researched and articulate steward of the county taxpayers' money. It's just that, as somewhat of a leftist on most spending issues, I just don't find myself agreeing with her.
This morning, thought, that changed. As the only commissioner to vote against a $166,950 incentives package for Moore's Machines, which plans to bring 125 new jobs and a $12 million property investment on McNeill Road, I think she was right with her vote.
According to a report from county manager John Crumpton, the county has paid out a total of $7.2 million in incentives since 1996. Most of that money has gone to good causes. To bringing in high-paying jobs at companies like Caterpillar and Wyeth.
And I think a lot of credit needs to go to the Lee County Economic Development Corporation for the hard work they have put in on those packages, which have benefitted the county greatly.
And I am not saying that Bob Heuts and John Daniel were wrong to ask for the incentives package. Moore's Machines came to them with a query on what the county could do, and it is their job to put to gether a package for the commissioners. If EDC had turned them away, no other company would ever want to work with them.
And I'm not saying that the 125 new jobs are not welcome here from Moore's Machines. Kudos to them for bringing badly needed jobs to the county.
But, as Shook pointed out in the meeting, the company had already invested $1.5 million in purchasing the building before they ever asked EDC for the incentives deal. They likely were going to bring the jobs here without the deal.
The county could have made $166,950 off the company instead of giving it back to them in tax breaks, which would have been very useful for a county that is already very strapped for cash.
Maybe, as my parents and several other older people have told me I would, I have become more concervative in my old age. As I see more and more of my paycheck being consumed by taxes, I have started to pay more attention to where that money is going.
And I just can't see the virtue in this particular incentives package.