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General Category >> Politics, Religion (Tall Table) >> Jeff Bezo is our enemy
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Message started by raydawg on 06/14/18 at 12:38:01

Title: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by raydawg on 06/14/18 at 12:38:01

This is huge re: a progressive/socialist driven agendas.
This is Seattle, the Seattlites are by no way even remotely conservative, and yet, this type of policy/thinking was soundly rejected, historical in fact, at how quickly petitions were raised and submitted to repeal this law.
Is it a foretelling of what awaits Nancy P. and other similar programs, we'll see.

By Danny Westneat
Seattle Times columnist

I was all set to give the Seattle City Council some credit today for doing one of the harder things in the human experience: admitting to a mistake.

Then I listened to council members.

Tuesday’s circus of a council hearing, at which the city backtracked on its misguided $275 per worker head tax, could best be described as a finger-pointing blame-fest. About everybody in Seattle was to blame for this humiliating political debacle, as it turns out. Except them.

Some on the council blamed “big business,” which was predictable. A few called out Amazon in particular. Kshama Sawant got the most personal about this, as is her specialty, bluntly declaring that, “Jeff Bezos is our enemy.”

Lots of blame for Seattle's head-tax debacle. Except where it belongs.

Other council members insisted with great passion, voices rising in anger, that the city is in fact doing a great job on housing the homeless, and so has simply been misunderstood.

But most jarring, to me, was that they blamed you. Yeah, you, the witless public.

“The Chamber of Commerce has convinced the vast majority of Seattleites of the old, conservative trope, that the increased level of human suffering in this city is caused by government inefficiency,” railed Councilmember Lisa Herbold.

She added she had pushed for a head tax on Seattle companies in 2016, 2017 and now again in 2018, and seemed perplexed that none of these three efforts worked.

Possible simple explanation: Maybe it’s just not a good idea?

The notion that the famously liberal and generous Seattle public is now a rabble of dupes easily wowed by anti-government propaganda – now that’s some world-class political blame-shifting! More likely, I bet, is that Seattleites came to feel that high levels of taxation directly on jobs, of all things, might not be the smartest policy.

A living example of this was right in council chambers on Tuesday. Had this fight just been about evil Amazon, who knows, the head tax might have prevailed. A bigger problem was the “Uwajimaya Effect.”

“I’m with Uwajimaya – not Amazon, Uwajimaya,” Denise Moriguchi, chief executive of the beloved Japanese grocery, pointedly began her testimony Tuesday. “We’ve been employing people in the Pacific Northwest for 90 years, and the head tax is not the right answer.”

Game over right there. Why in the world would you tax grocery stores, anyway? The council never had an answer for that.

Nobody acknowledged that mistake, or any other, on Tuesday. Various council members instead chose to lash out. Sawant was again the most direct, accusing business of launching a “tsunami of propaganda, lies and distortions.” But right there in the room was Uwajimaya, defying this hoary caricature.

Here are the other real reasons the head tax failed, none of which were discussed by the council. One, there was no successful coalition-building that included business, as was done when Seattle passed the $15 minimum wage. Two, the effort seemed like its aim was to tax the wealthy first and foremost, with any plan to help the homeless secondary. Three, the city never made the case its homelessness efforts to date are working – though council members belatedly tried Tuesday, saying they housed 3,000 just in the first three months of this year.

Council members alarmingly showered one another with praise Tuesday, saying the head tax was their best effort and it would be hard to top.

For starters, I would humbly suggest turning what you just did upside down. Come up with a detailed plan to help the homeless. Get buy-in on that, and then ask for money. That formula has a strong track record with voters in this city.

Another thing I might do posthaste is call up King County Executive Dow Constantine and say, “Hey, Dow, remember that $190 million of taxpayer money you bizarrely pledged to the Seattle Mariners? We could sure use that now!”

And finally, the hardest part: reflecting on what went wrong. The blame parade Tuesday was not a promising start. Consider the cautionary tale of another elected official, who had this to say Monday about the art of being wrong:

“I may be wrong, I mean I may stand before you in six months and say, ‘Hey I was wrong,’ ” he said. “I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that. But I’ll find some kind of an excuse.”

That wasn’t a member of the Seattle City Council, though it sure could have been. That was Donald Trump.

Danny Westneat: dwestneat@seattletimes.com. Danny Westneat takes an opinionated look at the Puget Sound region's news, people and politics.

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by MnSpring on 06/14/18 at 13:50:48

Interesting Report

Wonder if, ‘Yahooooooo’, will pick it up ?
Maybe, CNN, PBS, SLATE, TyT’s, Atlantic, Time, Political,
Perhaps one of the like, will pick it up.

I know, how bout a comedian,
who is a subject of a Monarch,
who lives in a country that has NO 1st or 2nd.

Na, guess not.
So, what is that about the,
80/20 ratio ?

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by LostArtist on 06/14/18 at 18:03:31

I actually heard about this from NPR a while back and caught the update that it failed recently on NPR as well.

I'm not sure if I'll actually read what Ray posted, as I'm not fond of "Danny Westneat takes an opinionated look" that part.

I'm okay that the head tax failed to pass. I don't think it was a very good idea. and No, I don't have any other ideas on fixing Seattle's homeless problem.

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/14/18 at 21:17:32

More likely, I bet, is that Seattleites came to feel that high levels of taxation directly on jobs, of all things, might not be the smartest policy.

Seems like after a policy has worked out like stomping on sand trap rakes , quite obviously the end result that anyone could see coming, but these geniuses who pushed for the policy now pretend they didn't.

Wow...

Your Trump quote, meant to embarrass him, is, I suspect, out of context.
How about the whole thing.

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by WebsterMark on 06/15/18 at 04:53:17

San Antonio has the worst homeless problem I've ever seen.

A woman with kids homeless on the street is because some POS man failed. Homeless programs should be primarily geared towards helping that group first.

In fact, is it a true statement that outside of mental illness, homelessness is another result of breakdown in historical family values?

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by Eegore on 06/15/18 at 05:50:01

"Your Trump quote, meant to embarrass him, is, I suspect, out of context.
How about the whole thing. "

Are you talking about this?:
"“I may be wrong, I mean I may stand before you in six months and say, ‘Hey I was wrong,’ ” he said. “I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that. But I’ll find some kind of an excuse.”"

There should be no suspicion as it was recorded and watched by millions. Youtube it, or read one of hundreds of articles.
https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9CI+may+be+wrong,+I+mean+I+may+stand+before+you+in+six+months+and+say,+%E2%80%98Hey+I+was+wrong,%E2%80%99+%E2%80%9D+he+said.+%E2%80%9CI+don%E2%80%99t+know+that+I%E2%80%99ll+ever+admit+that.+But+I'll+find+some+kind+of+an+excuse.%E2%80%9D&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjcu4DF2NXbAhWorFkKHaJEBswQBQgkKAA

As for the head tax its probably best for people in that area to make the choice as I think they have the most information.

I know where I live they started a free bus ticket program where homeless individuals are literally bussed out of the state. At first this seems like a disaster, and a low integrity move but it was a response to the thousands of people who came into the state thinking (without research) that they could get marijuana jobs. Unfortunately you have to be a registered CO resident for 3 years among other background checks. Most of those people on busses were just going back home.

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/15/18 at 06:13:04

I read it
It's not so horrible, but
Nuance..
Seriously
Not
Literally

Why it might yet fail isn't known.

http://mynorthwest.com/1016909/trump-being-trump-greatest-hits-from-his-press-conference/

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by raydawg on 06/15/18 at 07:59:44

415E585F42457444744C5E52192B0 wrote:

Not sure how you directed this, at me?

That is the writers comment, not mine.

BTW, Trump's value is on the rise in the PNW, if those I am exposed to, are any indication of a general feeling.
I would not say thy are sporting MAGA apparel, but the talk is generally goes like this; "I am surprised about him, doing better than I thought, etc....."

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/15/18 at 21:00:05

I am surprised about him, doing better than I thought, etc....."

Great.
I like knowing some people are able to see.

Title: Re: Jeff Bezo is our enemy
Post by MnSpring on 06/16/18 at 09:55:20

647B7D7A6760516151697B773C0E0 wrote:

"... I like knowing some people are able to see.

Watched the whole thing.
Hope the Council, can see.

Here is a copy,
https://www.seattlechannel.org/FullCouncil
Here is a, Possible Solution.
https://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Clowncil-ONLINE-COLOR-1020x685.jpg