novelnext Chapter 149 The Bill for the Night of Revelry
Chapter 149 The Bill for the Night of Revelry
Chapter 149 The Bill for the Night of Revelry (Bonus Chapter for 33000 Monthly Tickets)
A private suite in a five-star hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.
A celebration banquet is being held here, which is also the first formal joint meeting of the "Pennsylvania Industrial Revitalization Alliance".
Ron Smith was standing in front of the chair, holding a glass of red wine high in his hand.
His tie was loosened and hung around his neck, and his usually stern face was now filled with an unreserved smile.
"Homage to Pittsburgh!"
Smith's voice was loud and clear, tinged with a hint of drunkenness.
"Respect to Leo Wallace!"
Smith downed the glass of red wine in one gulp and slammed it heavily on the table.
"Do you know what? Just yesterday, the general manager of Yili United Steel Plant called me. That old guy was crying like a woman on the phone."
He said that because of a steel component order from Pittsburgh, the factory not only canceled its layoff plans but also plans to add two production shifts next month!
"Three shifts! Gentlemen! Yili's factories haven't had three shifts for a full ten years!"
Smith waved his arms excitedly.
"Those workers have jobs again, they can afford their mortgages, and they can take their kids out for a nice meal on the weekend."
This is what I want. As long as this is achieved, I don't care whether the money comes from the Democrats or the Republicans.
Mayor Joe Byers of Scranton, who was sitting next to him, also stood up in agreement.
“That’s right.” Byers’ face was flushed from drinking. “Our cement plant is hiring, and even the truck drivers over there are making a killing. Leo, you not only saved Pittsburgh, you saved us all.”
Byers raised his glass.
"In this damn world, there's only one color I care about."
He pulled a dollar bill from his pocket and slapped it on the table.
"That's green."
"I like any green dollar bill, no matter who prints it!"
A burst of laughter erupted in the private room.
The atmosphere was extremely lively.
This kind of harmony that transcends party lines and regions is nothing short of a miracle in today's divided American political arena.
The glue that held this miracle together was the $500 million in bond funding.
John Murphy sat to Leo's right.
The congressman, who is about to face the crucial primary election, couldn't stop smiling tonight.
He looked at these Republican mayors who had once avoided him, now treating him like a god of wealth, and the huge weight in his heart finally lifted.
Murphy stood up and straightened his suit.
"Mayors, sirs."
Murphy spoke, his voice brimming with confidence.
"It's great to see our alliance making a difference, but this is just the beginning."
"Before being a Republican or a Democrat, we are first and foremost Pennsylvanians."
"As long as I get into the Senate, as long as we have a greater voice in Washington, this level of investment will become the norm. We will bring more federal projects back to Pennsylvania, back to the Rust Belt."
Murphy paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"However, I also need your help."
"The primary election is in three weeks. Although this is a Democratic primary, I hope you can all say a few words for me in your respective cities, especially within your unions."
"Tell the workers who brought them the jobs."
Ron Smith let out a burp and patted his chest.
"Don't worry, John."
"Although I am a Republican, I cannot publicly endorse you. But I will tell the union president at Erie that if they don't want the factory to shut down, they should get the workers to vote for the person who can bring in orders."
"It's just a matter of switching parties. We can switch back after the vote. Anyway, Warren will definitely pass the primaries."
"At Yili, nobody would risk their job."
Other mayors also expressed their opinions.
They may not be able to influence all voters, but for blue-collar workers who value economic interests most, the mayor's attitude is crucial.
Murphy nodded in satisfaction and sat back down in his seat.
He turned to Leo and whispered, "See? This is what you call momentum. Neither Warren nor Monroe can stop this wave."
Leo sat there with a polite smile on his face.
He raised his glass to toast each of the mayors who offered him a toast.
He looked relaxed and enjoying the moment of victory.
But under the table, his left hand was tightly gripping his phone.
The screen is lit.
That was an email Ethan sent ten minutes earlier, titled "First Quarter Cash Burn Rate and Cash Flow Warning".
Leo opened the attachment.
A steep downward-pointing red curve stung his eyes.
That $500 million once seemed like an astronomical figure, a gold mine that could never be spent.
But in the past month, that money has been evaporating at an alarming rate.
At the current rate of burning, the $500 million won't even last three months.
Leo turned off his phone screen.
He looked at the mayors in front of him, clinking glasses and beaming with pride.
They were very happy.
Since they're spending Pittsburgh money to solve their own problems, they'd naturally call Zanio a friend.
Moreover, they are using Democratic Party money, so the Republican Party headquarters can't do anything about it.
"What are you thinking about, Leo?" Murphy leaned closer, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Why aren't you drinking? This wine is good."
"I'm thinking—"
Leo swirled the wine glass in his hand, watching the red liquid sloshing inside.
"I'm thinking, what will happen when this five hundred million dollars is spent?"
"Will the people in this room still be as affectionate as they are now?"
Murphy paused for a moment, then waved his hand.
"Don't be a spoilsport, Leo. We can always earn more money. Besides, once I'm elected senator, we can get even more money from Washington."
Leo smiled and did not refute.
He picked up his glass and took a sip.
The dinner ended amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.
The mayors boarded their respective cars for the return trip, their trunks filled with gifts from Pittsburgh and their bags containing newly signed supply contracts.
They left satisfied.
Leo declined Murphy's invitation to the next bar.
"I still have documents to process," Leo said.
He returned to the city hall alone.
The office building was deserted late at night. Leo pushed open the door to the mayor's office and turned on the desk lamp.
He sat down in the chair and reopened the expense report.
The red curve stood out starkly in the darkness.
"Mr. President."
Leo spoke to the air.
"I feel like I'm the captain hosting a ball on the Titanic."
"The guests were all dancing, drinking, and praising how luxurious the ship was."
"Only I know that the lower deck has started to flood."
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind.
"Prosperity sustained by borrowing is like injecting adrenaline into a dying patient."
"At the moment of injection, his face will be flushed, his heart will beat strongly, and he will feel like he can kill a cow."
"But the effects of this medicine are temporary."
"Moreover, this medicine is poisonous."
"Look at the industrial revitalization alliance you've built."
"It looks beautiful, connecting seven cities and forming a closed loop."
"But what is the driving force behind this closed loop?"
"It's the five hundred million dollars in your hands."
"You use this money to buy steel from Yili, and Yili uses this money to pay its workers' wages, which the workers then use to make purchases."
"It looks very prosperous."
"But, Leo."
Roosevelt raised a question.
"Who else can Yili sell its steel to besides you?"
"Where else can Scranton's cement be shipped besides to Pittsburgh?"
"What you've created isn't a market, but a life-sustaining system that relies on blood transfusions."
"You are that blood bag."
"When your blood runs dry, when that $500 million becomes a pile of new infrastructure that requires huge sums of money to maintain."
"What do we do next?"
"Yili's factory will shut down again due to a lack of new orders."
"Scranton workers will lose their jobs again."
"Those mayors will immediately turn on you; they'll accuse you of breaking off cooperation and of being an irresponsible liar."
"And Pittsburgh—"
"The city will be left with a bunch of beautiful parks and roads, but also a huge debt that will suffocate it."
"At that time, without anyone else taking action, the interest alone will be enough to crush this city."
Leo leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
Of course he knew that.
From the moment he decided to issue bonds, he knew it was a poisoned chalice.
But he had to drink it.
Because he didn't drink, he didn't even have a chance to sit at the table.
"So what should we do?" Leo asked. "Stop the project? Cut costs? Murphy's election would be over, and my approval rating would collapse."
"No, we can't stop."
Roosevelt stated firmly.
"Once you start riding a bicycle, you can't stop, or you'll fall."
"You must ride faster."
"Since five hundred million dollars isn't enough, let's find more money."
"So we need a heart." Leo's fingers traced unconsciously on the table. "A heart that can produce its own blood."
"Otherwise, everything we are doing now is just preparing for an even bigger funeral."
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