And in this era of corporate free agency, there is no guarantee the company will not pick up and leave after a few years, when a more attractive offer comes by, or it is acquired. States are caught in a bind. If they ignore the bidding frenzy, they turn their backs on job creation and growth. In sports terms, they become the Minnesota Twins, strapped for cash and unable to compete against the New Yorks and Atlantas of the world. It ain't so.
Many businesses look strong one year, and come apart at the seams the next.
Technology, market swings, and changes in management ultimately erode even a star performer's prospects. The worst part of state warfare is that it is a zero-sum game. No new business is created by it. The existing pie is simply resliced into different configurations, at costs borne ultimately by taxpayers who support such corporate welfare and by the customers companies must pass their increased taxes and costs on to. You can even listen to speeches over the Internet via audio plug-in utilities.