I've just started
researching
'economic zones'
that are being
established in the
U.S. There are
several different
types of zones
Foreign Trade Zones
-
http://ia.ita.doc.gov/ftzpage/
Subzones
Hubzones -
http://www.sba.gov/hubzone/
Intermodal Commerce
zones
Apparently,
application is made
to the 'Foreign
Trade Zones Board'
(see below) for zone
designation. The
zones have a
'private board' that
chooses who can
locate within the
zone. The
Foreign Trade Zone
is designated for a
class of businesses
but they can request
designations of
subzones within the
FTZ for specific
purposes. In other
words, the Board of
a zone can put
anything they want
in a FTZ as long as
the U.S. Dept of
Commerce grants the
subzone status.
The businesses
within the zones are
highly priviledged
and receive a myriad
of benefits from
elimination tariffs
and taxes to
preferences on
government
contracts.
Businesses outside
the privileged zones
are competing at a
significant
disadvantage to
businesses within
the zones.
After looking at
this,
I have to say that I
can't think of
anything more
un-American than
these zones. And
that feeling was
amplified when I saw
FTZ 208 on the list:
http://ia.ita.doc.gov/ftzpage/letters/ftzlist.html
208A Pfizer, Inc.
FTZ No. 208 New
London
Grantee: New London
Foreign Trade Zone
Commission
111 Union Street,
New London, CT 06320
Ned Hammond (860)
447-5203
It makes me think
that there was a
whole lot more to
the Kelo vs New
London case than we
were led to believe.
My guess would be
that the U.S. Dept
of Commerce created
a Foreign Trade Zone
in that area and
gave Phizer the
franchise. Because
of the FTZ
designation, it was
really out of the
hands of New London
CT. So why didn't
New London fight the
designation (check
their bank accounts
and assets before
and after)? Maybe it
had something to do
with New London
being on the hit
list during the last
BRAC round of
military facility
closings? What I
wonder was why the
attorney
representing the
property owners in
New London was
fighting the city
when he should have
been challenging the
'Foreign Trade Zone'
law.
According to this
protest website
that was created
during the Kelo vs
New London battle,
"Phizer has already
gotten 24 acres of
prime waterfront
land for $10. They
were given a ten
year 80% reduction
in city real-estate
taxes and
$3,000,000/year
reduction in sales
taxes related to
construction costs."
I found another
organization
promoting FTZ's.
It's called
NAFTZ.
It occurs to me that
the U.S. Dept of
Commerce could have
designated the
entire route for the
Trans-Texas Corridor
and the CANAMEX as
'Foreign Trade
Zones' and put them
under the control of
a private board -
like
NASCO. If that's
the case, and people
try to fight to save
their property based
on eminent domain
laws, they will lose
because the
designation of FTZ
effectively creates
a 'foreign island'
on U.S. soil. I'm
not an attorney but
it seems to me that
when a challenge is
made, you have to
direct the challenge
to the source of the
problem and not just
a peripheral part of
it.
Links
http://www.ftz207.com/aboutftz.htm
http://www.ftz207.com/
http://www.georgiaftz.com/
History of FTZ's
http://www.foreign-trade-zone.com/history.htm
Subzone:
A special-purpose
zone established as
part of a zone
project for a
limited purpose that
cannot be
accommodated within
an existing General
Purpose Zone.
Subzones must be
sponsored by the
grantee of a General
Purpose Zone.
John J. Da Pont
Remarks for the
NAFTZ 25th Annual -
retrieved from web
archive
http://www.channelingreality.com/News/Da_Ponte_Sec_FTZ_Board_1997_Remarks.pdf