February 23, 2009 05:54 AM UTC

Jolly Rancher Leaves the U.S.

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• by: Pam Bennett

Many of us enjoyed Jolly Rancher Candy over the years. It was produced in the Jolly Rancher plant in Wheat Ridge on Ward Rd. a little north of I-70.  The smell of the candy wafted all over the west side of the metro region for decades.

However, the company was sold to Hershey’s in 1996 which closed the plant in 2002. Operations were moved to other plants in Canada. Then in the U.S. at the Reading Pa. plant.

The Hershey plant in Reading Pa. is now being closed with the Jolly Rancher candy production being moved to Mexico.  Along with Jolly Rancher candy the York Peppermint Patties production is being moved too.

One more company jumping on the jobs bandwagon.  Only jobs for other countries, and eliminating the jobs in the U.S.

We need jobs in the U. S., and jobs here in the Aurora-Denver Metro Region.  Companies such as Hershey should have been part of the stimulus package.  The stimulus package should have included incentives to not move operations outside of the U.S. The tax laws must be reformed to remove the tax incentive of moving and operating outside of the U.S.

To revive our economy will take more then dumping trillions of greenbacks in to Wall Street and the big banks; and a few billion in to the auto industry.  There has to be incentive to keep and create jobs right here.

Incentive means changes to tax code and how NAFTA and other trade treaties operate. Changes must include healthcare coverage to at least let us compete in a world competition that is decidedly unbalanced against us in subsidized wages and healthcare or sweatshop conditions.

Now is the time to make these changes. Will Congress find enough brass?  I wish I knew.

updated:

crossposted on Kos,