> people living in rural areas should know that they are simple

Countermeasures to this stereotype can be equally damaging. It may have played into Foxconn’s advantage here.

“We don’t need an expensive coastal banker telling us what to do” is reasonable if everyone is out to screw small timers.

> a region with a dying economy might actually be rational to throw away an enormous amount of money

This wasn’t money they had. It was taxpayers’ future money. Money that could have financed education or infrastructure or a move to another city. This mindset is only rational if staying in place has infinite utility, not only for the region’s present residents, but its future ones too.

Just to jump in here to add some additional comments:

* Mount Pleasant WI is not rural (city-data.com says 95% urban). It lies on I94 just 1hr 15min from Chicago and 30min from Milwaukee. * I doubt Mount Pleasant WI is dying.

If I remember, the deal was pretty opaque and many details were murky. I find it more likely the local officials were incentivized somehow as opposed to sheer incompetence.

Additionally, it should be noted that the WI governor (Scott Walker) who orchestrated this deal lost his re-election bid shortly after this. While there was always uncertainty about Foxconn actually following through, the lack of Walker (and thus probably Trump) basically sealed the deal.

> Mount Pleasant WI is not rural

I think you're right. I was responding to someone saying they are "country" people.

> I doubt Mount Pleasant WI is dying.

Milwaukee's metro area (which includes Mount Pleasant and Racine, the places most closely tied to Foxconn's scam) has seen a massive decline in manufacturing:

> "The Great Recession hit Milwaukee’s manufacturing industry especially hard, and the city continues to have discomfiting employment statistics..."[1].

Broad economic numbers aren't great for Racine County as far as I can tell. They're worse than the US overall. Even if they were great, we know from examples across the US that declining blue-collar jobs may be especially painful for the non-urban electorate -- people who influence the local officials who believe the wishful nonsense Foxconn peddles.

> "'This area desperately needs the investment. There's nothing here anymore,' said Tom Johnston, a 54-year-old veteran of [Racine's] once-vaunted manufacturing sector."[2]

1. https://www.badgerinstitute.org/Reports/2013/A-Fresh-Take-on...

2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-the-economy-teete...

Oh, I agree with your post and appreciate you adding real substance to this thread. I'd say the area's in "decline" as opposed to "dying" but that may be splitting hairs. I do think "dying" implies that there's no hope for revival. Like it's some remote coal town that lives or dies by that single industry. Sure yeah, the manufacturing industry is not doing well here and Racine has fared particularly poorly. That made Mount Pleasant vulnerable to Foxconn but is only one part of the story. There's a lot of political nuance when it comes to Wisconsin and Milwaukee. This deal wasn't getting done without the state government backing it no matter how naive or desperate one municipality was. My point is that it's far more likely corruption or even just normal political incentives drove this deal as opposed to stupidity.

Milwaukee is dying. The suburbs around it are suffering as well.

That's shame, looks like a really nice city otherwise.

"dying" is hyperbole. The manufacturing sector has been on decline for 40 years but other sectors are starting to build up. The downtown core has seen a boom in revitalization, particularly these past 5 years. There's a push for tech and startups.

It's basically in the same metro area as Chicago. Would you say Chicago's dying? It may have declined (or not grown as fast as other US cities) lately but "dying" seems like hyperbole, no?