How long of a recovery period does it take to recoup $3 billion in handouts to one of the highest grossing/ largest corporations in the world when you're generating 25,000 jobs for your $3 billion...even in NYC where they tax the hell out of everything if you assumed the average wage were an outrageously high figure - say, $250,000/year (which wouldn't happen, the majority of those 25k jobs would have been on the low end of the spectrum, clerical staff, janitorial staff etc.)...but assume the average is $250,000/year for simple math. At a combined state and city tax rate of 10% it would take roughly 5 years just to recover the initial investment through income taxes. Assume further that people spend 15% of their income on taxable sales, you only get that recovery period down to ~4.25 years...just to recover. What's the opportunity cost of blowing $3 billion that you don't start to see a nickle on for 4.25 years??? At a market rate of growth of 8% the states $3 billion would be worth over $4 billion 4 years down the line - so even though they'd just be recovering their initial investment at that point they'd still have another 2 years to go before they stood to out perform the alternative of having done absolutely nothing at all.

6 to 7 years...based on outrageously high average wage assumption for a 25,000 person environment persisting over the entire period. Realistically that recovery period is probably three to four times longer. Much longer when you realize the people touting that 25,000 job figure are likely including every temporary construction job along the way that will only last a fraction of the overall time Amazon would be there. Start taking thousands of bodies out of the equation and you won't recover that investment in a lifetime.

Back to the pie in the sky high assumptions - How much more growth could they spur in a 6 to 7 year timeline with $3 billion today? They replaced the entire Tappan Zee Bridge with TWO LARGER BRIDGES for roughly that much money. Which do you think does more for the regional economy? Infrastructure or heavily lobbied subsidy projects? Hmm...how about in 18 years to 28 years?

Strictly by the #'s I am happy it didn't come to be.