Idaho Gov. Butch Otter touched off a political firestorm with his "Love Letter to Our Neighbors," AWB President Don Brunell writes in his weekly column.
But it should not come as a surprise that Idaho or any other state wants to lure away Washington's employers, especially its plums like Boeing, Costco, Microsoft and Starbucks. It's a competitive world.
Boeing's decision to move some of its production to South Carolina was a wake-up call, Brunell writes.
Otter's love letter is yet another wake-up call.
"Washington, like other states, has its advantages as well as its drawbacks," Brunell writes, noting the state's skilled workforce, access to research and technology and quality of life -- as well as its high business costs, including the business and occupation tax, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance.
"The constant recruitment isn't going to stop," Brunell writes.
Read the full column here.
