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Re: Seattle city council passes head tax, then caves and repeals same tax [Spiridon Louis]
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A lot of citizens there had signed a petition to put a repeal of the tax on the ballot this year, and there was a likelihood of a recall of some of the council members who'd pushed through the head tax (with the support of the mayor), so they probably tried to get out ahead of the tar and feathers and killed the Frankenstein's monster they'd created on their own.
The climbdown from the ledge of most of the council's members hasn't thrill the most radical member, however, the socialist/communist Kshama Sawant, who's the prime and leading radical on the council. She's characterizing it as a case of "evil big business" (including Amazon) thwarting the will of the people, of course.
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
The climbdown from the ledge of most of the council's members hasn't thrill the most radical member, however, the socialist/communist Kshama Sawant, who's the prime and leading radical on the council. She's characterizing it as a case of "evil big business" (including Amazon) thwarting the will of the people, of course.
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
Re: Seattle city council passes head tax, then caves and repeals same tax [Spiridon Louis]
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My big issue with this is that the tax money wouldn't make a dent in, or do anything to correct, the housing price or homelessness issue. It's just a plain old tax grab.
Long Chile was a silly place.
Long Chile was a silly place.
Re: Seattle city council passes head tax, then caves and repeals same tax [big kahuna]
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There is a $600+ million education levy on the November ballot. Scuttlebutt is city council repealed the head tax in fear that if the initiative was on the ballot that too many anti tax voters would also vote down the education levy.
Expect to see the head tax, on one form or another, back on the city council agenda after the November election.
Expect to see the head tax, on one form or another, back on the city council agenda after the November election.
Re: Seattle city council passes head tax, then caves and repeals same tax [big kahuna]
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Cities fight tooth and nail to get these big companies to locate there. They do. They are successful. They grow. They hire more employees. They pay their employees well. The employees have more money to spend which drives up prices of some things. The city complains that the big company is there.
It would be different if they were discussing tax abatements that caused the local government to be overly burdened by increased services and not enough taxes.
I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.
It would be different if they were discussing tax abatements that caused the local government to be overly burdened by increased services and not enough taxes.
I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.
Re: Seattle city council passes head tax, then caves and repeals same tax [j p o]
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j p o wrote:
Cities fight tooth and nail to get these big companies to locate there. They do. They are successful. They grow. They hire more employees. They pay their employees well. The employees have more money to spend which drives up prices of some things. The city complains that the big company is there. It would be different if they were discussing tax abatements that caused the local government to be overly burdened by increased services and not enough taxes.
All very true. But folks like Sawant fail to understand how what you described in your first paragraph works. I guess "share the wealth" is her mantra, which is fine up to a point. But saying "we'll take all the wealth to ensure "fairness"" seems to be her main motivation. This isn't her first time trying or advocating for something like this, either.
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
Post deleted by spudone
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Re: Seattle city council passes head tax, then caves and repeals same tax [Spiridon Louis]
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There are 200 people in today's new employee orientation at Amazon. They have these every Monday.
Re: Seattle city council passes head tax, then caves and repeals same tax [spudone]
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spudone wrote:
Disclaimer: I live near the area, but I am not in the Seattle city limits. Anyhow, the big problem most people have with the city council is that they continually claim they need XX dollars to address the homeless problem. But they fail to show any real coordinated plan of action.
Really there are a couple key issues that result in more people on the streets:
- Housing prices are on a huge upswing.
- Zoning laws prevent developers from even having a chance to profit on low income housing.
- Drug abuse results in people who are unable to hold a job.
- Seattle pushes soft enforcement policies, so addicts stay near the city core (more people for panhandling / theft / etc, plus you get tent villages and RVs that can park on the street indefinitely).
The city council has brought in new tax revenue many times - remember the soda tax? Of the things I mentioned above, they have either ignored them, or spent money on things that exacerbate them.
I grew up (Jr. and Sr. high school) in Federal Way, so also outside the city. I still have family in the area and try to make a pilgrimage annually. Last year we spent a good portion of our trip in and around downtown and the water front. It had been a good long while since I was in that part of the city and I was amazed how out in the open drug use and panhandling were. Perhaps my 47 year old brain perceives things very differently than my teenage brain did, but I recall most of the highlighted above being confined to Pioneer Square and under the Alaska Way Viaduct. Now it seemed to be everywhere.
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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
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