And for Indiana...the hits keep coming: Angie's List Cancelling Expansion

[Contrary1]

Angie's List canceling Eastside expansion over RFRA

"Angie's List CEO Bill Oesterle said his firm will pull out of a pending deal with the state and city to expand its headquarters on Indianapolis' Near Eastside because of his disagreement with the state's passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Oesterle said he opposed the passage of the act on Thursday, intends to keep speaking out against it, and feels he can't accept state subsidies for his company's expansion given his disagreement over the act.

"We're going to be very vocal on this issue and I don't feel we can do that if we are taking state money," Oesterle said Saturday in an interview with The Star. "We don't want to be bound by commitments in that deal given the current atmosphere in the state (government)."

The state promised tax credits for the planned expansion of Angie's headquarters campus on East Washington Street. Financing for a new parking garage for Angie's employees also involves state help. Final approval of the deal is pending before Indianapolis City-County Council...."

http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2015/03/28/angies-list-canceling-eastside-expansion-rfra/70590738/

[RKP5637]

1. Excellent! There are so many great places in the US. I can't imagine any national

corporation wanting to be associated with a legally bigoted state. And based on religion, and ones interpretation of whatever their religion is, in fact, the law crafted is really about the dark side of religion and reeks of cult/clique behavior legalized.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. You can email Angie's List to show support, here:

http://investor.angieslist.com/management.cfm?sh_email=yes&


Angie's list CEO managed the political campaign of Indiana Governor Mitchell Daniels in 2004.
So for him to now back out of Indiana is a big step.

[Downwinder]

3. Along with Indiana moving down

some Companies are moving up rapidly.

[AwakeAtLast]

4. That's OK in this case

Angie was getting an insane amount of tax breaks and still wasn't satisfied. They threatened to walk before this happened. Bye bye Repuke company!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022839580

Just in case anyone wanted some basis for my feelings.

[AngryOldDem]

7. Yes and no.

The city was being asked to take a big gamble on a company whose future is cloudy. That said, Angie's List was looking to expand in a very distressed area of town in an effort to bring it back.

[jtuck004]

12. If one calls getting cheap property and kicking out people who can't afford to live

there any longer, and offering no alternative "an effort to bring it back", then, yes.

I kind of look at it as a corporate taking assisted by the state.

[Contrary1]

14. No homes involved.

The buildings and empty lots are already there.

[jtuck004]

15. Let me refer you to this post - says it well, but is talking to someone else...

you'll get the gist of it though.

...
Gentrification involves displacement of one class in favor of another class plan and simple. You make it sound as if it is only restricted to residential housing markets and rehabilitation of existing properties. The definition of Gentrification is much broader and includes vacant land, usually in prior industrial use, and newly built designer neighborhoods, as well as neighborhoods of working class housing. It can include off the peg new-build developments, often beside water or in other notable location in the city.

Gentrification can stem from the altering industrial structure in any major city. A change from manufacturing based industries to service based industries in the inner cities results in a simultaneous change in the occupational class structure from one largely based around manufacturing working class individuals to one increasingly dominated by white-collar professionals whose financial, cultural and service industries are located major cities
...

http://www.city-data.com/forum/indianapolis/2205209-history-white-flight-indianapolis-7.html

Some other good info in there as well.


People would like to pretend it isn't screwing people over if they can't see them, but that is just an excuse used by those who are profiting.

[Contrary1]

16. Try doing a Mapquest of 1350 E. Washington St.

You will see the building the article refers to.

[AngryOldDem]

22. The area is mainly vacant buildings and lots...

...as other posters have told you.

Building up that area of Washington Street would have benefitted the neighborhoods surrounding it. Right now the HQs are in an old firehouse and another factory type building. The auto plant, which is now sitting vacant and an eyesore, would be rehabbed to add to the AL campus. And if I understand things correctly, people who are now at the building at 10th and Meridian would have been relocated to Washington Street as well once things were finished.

AL was trying to make an investment in that area. To do that, they needed help, and they most certainly had things they needed to prove to both their investors and the city, but now all that's moot.

[jtuck004]

23. Nice. Withhold investment in a city, ship the jobs overseas, then pretend they are doing something

for the people as they shovel money to a corporation.

It wasn't an investment. They just wanted to take without paying their fair share, as the people working for them do.

[AngryOldDem]

25. Okay.

And I guess if they had decided to proceed with the expansion, they would be catching shit for "supporting" RFRA, right?

And Angie's List at the moment is in no position to ship jobs overseas.

Believe it or not, they wanted to try to bring that area back. There are a lot of other, much more desirable places in Indy to expand. They chose East Washington Street.

[TheDebbieDee]

5. That'll make repukes think twice about passing B$ legislation that panders to

overzealous evangelicals. I hope the NCAA, Angie's List and other progressive businesses make Indiana suffer.

[calimary]

6. What??? Even Angie's List? Criminy!

I thought Angie's List was more supportive of the CON side of the aisle. This stinks too bad even for THEM???

Color me stunned.

[gregcrawford]

8. What the Hell!

Since when does ANYONE'S religion trump the Law of the Land? I don't give a rat's ass what kind of sanctimonious uber-Christian zealot they are. How is Indiana's bullshit law justifying discrimination on "Religious Grounds" any different than the oh-so-horrible "Sharia Law" these inbred assholes are always screeching about?

I'm 68, straight, and married, but this kind of crap absolutely enrages me. Or maybe you noticed that...

[AngryOldDem]

9. It enrages me, too.

And I guess one man's Sharia Law is another man's freedom of religion.

[Skittles]

10. TEABAGGERS

conservatives ALWAYS overreach

[AnnieBW]

11. Time To Re-up My Angie's List Subscription!

With a nice note along with it thanking them for supporting LGBT rights!

[It is Tuesday]

13. Surprised you support Angie's list

considering it is owned by right-wing freaks...

[sendero]

17. Not to mention....

...their dubious business practices vis a vis their actual listings. Google it. I wouldn't pay $1 for their "service".

[BumRushDaShow]

18. A class action lawsuit was just filed this past Thursday here in Philly against them

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2015/03/26/angies-list-class-action-lawsuit/

As much as I support them doing their little economic boycott in Indie, it garners mixed feelings..

[AnnieBW]

19. I did not know that

I did not know that. I do now. So much for that subscription. Thanks for letting me know!

[Thinkingabout]

20. I am going to say this, if I was in business in any state I would be willing to accept

Anyone with green dollars. Bottom line, I would have thought this crap would have changed but the religious doesn't want to accept Jesus loved everybody, I believe in the teachings of Jesus.

[RKP5637]

27. I'm surprised too. To me, business is business, I have a product or service for sale, everyone

is welcomed. I can't imagine running a public business and making judgments about every customer that I deal with, unless it is illegal, harmful, etc.

I'm not a religious person, but I did go to church in my youth, and as was active, what these individuals (some) seem to want today in religious rights was nothing like in my youth. People were accepting and never was hatred preached.

There is so much negativity and hatefulness associated with religion today, just looking out across the world is chilling. One would think a governor/state would be about bringing people together in peace, not building barriers and hatefulness.

[Thinkingabout]

28. This is another religious belief, it is okay to discriminate against anyone or anything, sad

State of affairs. We know where this is going, it was a big fight to get the right for women to vote, for blacks to vote, for integration and I think this nation has evolved in allowing those to love whom they please. The GOP has run on getting government out of our business but their actions now place government into our decisions and the religious right is behind this.

[William769]

21. Kick & highly recommended.

[Cha]

24. Mahalo Contrary

[MADem]

26. Someone needs to pull out this old song and write some new lyrics...