Remarks to the Burlington, Vermont City Council; February 7, 2011.
Good evening. My name is Martin Lockheed Inc., and as a corporate person I’d like to bring a little balance to the discussion tonight concerning Burlington’s Climate Action Plan, and Mayor Kiss’s letter of intent with us, Lockheed Martin.
I’ve actually been living here in town for a couple of years, ever since Senator Bernie Sanders visited my in-laws, the Sandias, in New Mexico a couple of years ago.
Now, Senator Sanders hasn’t always been that friendly toward us. In fact, he has accused us of illegal and fraudulent behavior. But he's a reasonable man. When he described the advantages of Vermont, especially for the research and development work we do with the government, I was intrigued.
Then, about a year ago, we received some good news. Our second class status had changed. You’ve heard of the case: "Citizens United against the FEC." You may take your rights as citizens for granted, but our corporate family, like so many others, has had to fight for recognition. But now the Supreme Court has finally acknowledged our rights as persons.
In the past, we have been accused of all sorts of misdeeds – overbilling, over-promising, polluting, lying. We’ve been called war profiteers and worse. And I have to admit: things were done and mistakes were made. We’re not perfect.
But we've paid for that -- $577 million in the last 15 years. So let’s put all that behind us.
We’re not here to build nuclear weapons and overpriced aircraft. We have others places to do that – although we would appreciate some space at the airport for some new and very exciting planes: our F35s.
If you cooperate, jobs for Vermont’s Air Guard will be safe, and more may come later taking care of the planes.
What I really want to convey is that we have a lot to offer this small, but lovely state. Mayor Kiss understands this, and has been very open to a partnership. Clearly, we’re the bigger partner. We brought in more than $40 billion last year, more than twice what this entire state produces.
But I promise you: we won’t take advantage of that. Despite what you’ve heard, it will be different. I mean that very sincerely.
In fact, I’m so excited to be living here that I’m considering a run for office. Now that the Supreme Court has spoken, I finally have the opportunity to fulfill my potential as a corporate person – to serve the community as an elected official. Maybe mayor. I haven’t made a decision yet. First, we need to get beyond the kind of angry rhetoric we’ve been hearing lately. But I’m hopeful, well-funded, and ready to serve.
So, don’t be swayed by prejudice against corporate people. We deserve rights, just like everyone else. And we have so much to offer. Of course, we can’t talk about some of it. You know, National Security. But what I can say is that if you approve the Mayor’s plan, I’ll be around for a long time. So will my family. And we will definitely surprise you. Thanks for listening.
Martin Lockheed, Inc.