An Open Letter to Elon Musk
Dear Mr. Musk,
You are the dictionary example of a hypocrite. However, you are also the dictionary definitions of a Greedy, Sleazy, Self-Serving scumbag, and Brilliant Human. All of which I assume you already know.
This is not new information to you. Your recent decision to move Tesla to Texas is perhaps the last nail in your company’s cultural coffin. Not to be confused with your business’ coffin. I don’t think you’ll lose money on the move. Not for a while at least. The Texas tax situation vs. California is going to give you a windfall of cash. Of course, you also just whipped out your dick and pissed on your company’s primary reason to exist: To Save The Planet.
Because you have gotten away with obvious hypocrisies in the past, you aren’t looking back at the problems that have been quieted over the years. But I’ll get there, let’s start with the elephant in the room.
From the US ENERGY ADMINISTRATION
Petroleum
Texas leads all states in crude oil production as it has in every year but one since at least 1970. The state accounts for about two-fifths of the nation’s crude oil proved reserves and crude oil production. Texas not only produces more crude oil than any other state but usually also more than all the federal offshore producing areas combined. More than one-fourth of the nation’s 100 largest oil fields by reserves are in Texas. Most of those are in the Permian Basin of West Texas and in the south-central part of the state.
It’s also important to point out Texas has one of the most vocal Climate Change Denial advocates in the country. And that would be the current Texas State Governor, Greg Abbott.
From the statesman.com Jan 8th, 2019
A group of Texas climate scientists on Tuesday urged Gov. Greg Abbott not to “stick your head in the sand” when it comes to the impact of climate change on the state and urged him to take steps to reduce Texas’ greenhouse gas emissions, which are the highest in the country by a wide margin, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
In fact, Elon, earlier this year Gov. Abbott said this…
“I am in Midland to make clear that Texas is going to protect the oil and gas industry from any type of hostile attack from Washington, D.C.” “Texas is not going to stand idly by and watch the Biden administration kill jobs in Midland, in Odessa or any other place across the entire region.”
…now why was it you wanted to make EV’s again? Because you just decided to pour millions into THAT MAN’S hands to do the exact opposite of what TESLA was founded to do. So would you mind explaining your motivation to all of us, please?
Your Texas tax benefit is coming directly from oil companies paying taxes. Taxes from profits they made by burning, drilling for and processing the thing you built TESLA to eradicate.
Or at least that’s what I thought. But, I guess I was wrong.
According to the WALL STREET JOURNAL (Dec, 2020),
(referring to companies moving to Texas from California)
The announcements have highlighted the vastly different tax and regulatory systems in the country’s two most populous states. California relies more on taxing personal income, particularly of high-income households, and operates a growing regulatory structure. Texas leans on more regressive property and sales taxes and boasts a more laissez-faire environment. The biggest difference: High-paid executives who move can see their state income-tax bills go from 13.3% to nothing.
Excuse me?
The entity, business or person who is going to benefit the most from the move by Tesla to a state where the last three governors don’t even believe climate change is real, is YOU?
The article went on to say…
The Tax Foundation, a conservative-leaning Washington group, puts Texas 11th in its ranking of state business-tax climates, with California 49th. That is largely a function of individual taxes, some of which do fall on business income. The group ranks California ahead of Texas on corporate and property taxes.
CA is better for business tax than Texas?
I’m confused.
So you moved to a state that offers your shareholders no advantage and a culture of climate change denial so you would pay fewer taxes?
Currently, you are worth $254 BILLION FUCKING DOLLARS, is that correct? And that’s total while the business is in a state that is rough on personal taxation. Are you afraid Blue Origin is going to get to Mars before Space X?
FORBES recently reported the new tax laws Congress is pushing would cost you as much as $30 billion over the first two years. Reports are you paid a whopping $443 million in taxes….. From 2014 to 2018. Now I’m no math genius like yourself, and I’m certainly not a tax expert nor am I accusing you of anything illegal, but Paying $110,000 a year while amassing a QUARTER TRILLION feels like a lower % of your personal income than, you know, everyone who has ever worked for you pays.
You do know the taxes (you don’t pay) Americans pay, builds things like roads? Tesla’s drive on roads. They also pay for things like TAX SUBSIDIES that build multi-billion dollar companies.
May 30th, 2015 LA Times estimated between Tesla, Space X and Solar City your companies had benefitted to the tune of $4.9BILION in subsidies.
And you now have a quarter trillion dollars, yet are moving into maximum hypocrisy so you don’t have to give the government back any of it.
The best part was going all “Trump rant” on Twitter when you heard about the tax plan.
FORBES, Oct 2021
Not surprisingly, Musk was quick to denounce the new proposal, firing off several tweets attacking the plan on Monday. “Eventually, they run out of other people’s money and they come for you,” he wrote in response to a tweet opposing the tax.
My bad, you aren’t just a hypocrite, you are an ASSHOLE as well.
