Bitch Fighting for Boeing

"Talks to resolve a dispute between the European Union and America over alleged unfair subsidies to plane maker Airbus ended in deadlock yesterday, raising fears of a trade war between the two blocs."

--Guardian

"Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called the outcome of yesterday's talks "disappointing." She disputed the comparison of the state's 7E7 package with the loans Airbus received in advance to develop its new superjumbo A380 jet.

"There's a big difference between the tax incentives that Washington state offered to Boeing and the launch aid or the direct cash payments from European governments to Airbus," Murray said. "Boeing has never received a cash advance to build a new plane."

--Seattle Times

"The Bush administration and the Boeing Co. have demanded a 12-year-old treaty with the Europeans be scrapped and a new one negotiated that eliminates the Airbus subsidies.
The 1992 treaty allowed European governments to provide Airbus with about one-third of the money it needed to launch a new aircraft, though the subsidy was supposed to decline over time. The treaty was negotiated at a time when Boeing was the dominant manufacturer of commercial airplanes, but Airbus has now outpaced Boeing.

Boeing has said that about one-third of the $13 billion Airbus has spent developing its new 555-seat superjumbo A-380 airliner was provided by European governments.

--Sacbee

Of course, Boeing doesn't always play as clean as they claim with lower taxes following job cuts, more tax incentives and factories built by the port authority. No-one's hands are clean here. Airbus's use of government backed loans is, I feel, far less questionable than the vast financial hand-holding that Boeing benefits from. Whilst they pretend to be the hard done by party, appearing to be long suffering in the face of mean socialist Europeans, Boeing is no less guilty of federal assistance than anyone else.

Guardian
Seattle Times
Sacbee