“This is a symbol of where Michigan is going, this is a symbol of where Holland is going, this is a symbol of where America is going.” – President Barack Hussein Obama. Remarks at the LG Chem plant in Holland, Michigan, July 15, 2010.
Stimulus money spent on groundbreaking ceremony of lithium battery manufacturing plant, attended by the POTUS = $533.000
Total stimulus money received by plant to date = $151,000,000
Number of batteries produced by plant to date = 0
Eliana Johnson at National Review’s The Corner reports:
Add it to the annals of stimulus waste. A local Michigan television station reports that workers at LG Chem, a lithium-ion battery plant that received over $150 million stimulus dollars, have so little to do that they spend their days playing cards and board games, reading magazines and watching movies. And they have yet to make a single battery.
From GOP.com:
AFTER OBAMA GAVE THEM $151 MILLION IN STIMULUS FUNDS, THE COMPANY BROUGHT IN FOREIGN WORKERS TO BUILD THE FACTORY
LG Chem Was Among Two Korean Battery Manufacturers That Got Taxpayer Funds And Then “Bought A Lot Of Korean Equipment And Supplies. And They Filled Some Of Those Sought-After Jobs With Korean Workers.” “In 2010, Obama and Vice President Biden personally appeared to break ground at two Michigan plants. The plants were getting a combined $300 million under the stimulus program to build electric car batteries. But as it turns out the companies getting all those American tax dollars are largely owned by Koreans. They bought a lot of Korean equipment and supplies. And they filled some of those sought-after jobs with Korean workers. That drew anger from local labor unions. They say pictures, taken inside the plants show Korean nationals doing hands-on work that should be done by Americans.” (Sharyl Attkisson, “Unions Say Foreign Workers Taking Stimulus Jobs,” CBS News , 4/13/12)
- In A Response To A Freedom Of Information Act From Local Unions, The Obama Administration Admitted That 11 Of The 18 Contractors Working At The Site Were Firms Based In Asia. “The unions wrote complaint letters to the Labor Department and the president, but got few answers. So they filed a Freedom of Information Act request. In it, they asked for payroll records of LG Chem contractors performing construction work. The government’s response named 18 companies; at least 11 of them are Asian firms. Energy Department officials say they’re confident all laws are being obeyed, but declined our interview request to talk about foreign workers on stimulus jobs.” (Sharyl Attkisson, “Unions Say Foreign Workers Taking Stimulus Jobs,” CBS News , 4/13/12)
- Union Officials Complained That With 29 Percent Unemployment Among Construction Workers, The Installation Of Equipment Could Have Been Done By Americans. “Still, area union officials say the work could be done by local trades men and women. ‘To blatantly say these are high tech installation jobs, and cannot be performed by Michigan Tradesmen is a bending of the truth,’ said William Borch, upstate business agent for Ironworkers Local 25. ‘The rate of unemployment for Michigan construction workers is near 29 percent and Midland’s neighboring Isabella County has the highest unemployment rate in the state. It is hard to believe that we allow this travesty.’” (Kathryn Lynch-Morin, “Company Official Says Korean Workers At Dow Kokam For Installation Only, Not For Long Term,” Michigan Live, 12/13/11)
This is a symbol of where America is going…indeed.