CHAZ/CHOP: Autonomous No Cop Zone and Commune Declared In Seattle - Render unto Warlord Raz what is owed to Warlord Raz

[Absolutego]

Wow, those comments coming from Reddit, of all places, gives me a glimmer of hope.

That's the right-wing Seattle subreddit. I say that not as condemnation, but just to point out it attracts a specific audience and it shouldn't be taken as representative of the city. Traffic is way up over the summer, though, which has been interesting. But a lot of it's at fucked up hours where I debate if they're locals for real.
The main one, /r/seattle, is pretty normie lefty. They're the ones who like to spam the subreddit with pics of sunsets and Mt. Rainier every time shit hits the fan, while /r/seawa are the commie tumblr spinoff that hates everyone.

 

[Meat Target]

That's the right-wing Seattle subreddit. I say that not as condemnation, but just to point out it attracts a specific audience and it shouldn't be taken as representative of the city. Traffic is way up over the summer, though, which has been interesting. But a lot of it's at fucked up hours where I debate if they're locals for real.
The main one, /r/seattle, is pretty normie lefty. They're the ones who like to spam the subreddit with pics of sunsets and Mt. Rainier every time shit hits the fan, while /r/seawa are the commie tumblr spinoff that hates everyone.

Never mind then.

 

[GatorWrasslin]

I don't even know where to start with this stupidity. Sawant's zombies in Capitol Hill are planing a solidairty rally to support Sawant and BLM, even though all Sawant did at BLM rallies was yell about Amazon and she could maybe be blamed for CHAZ's shutdown since she led the march to Mayor Jenny's house, but her zombies don't seem to put two and two together. Instead, they say the Recall Sawant effort is a right-wing attack, even though it's led by a guy who worked for Three Dollar Cinema putting together their Trans Film Fest or something before they retaliated against his recall campaign by firing him.

What they aren't noticing is that after Sawant's pet tax project passed, Amazon has done exactly what every rational, non-idiot would do: prepare to move out. Amazon has said they're hiring 10k jobs in Bellevue, and is meanwhile letting one of their prominent Seattle leases expire.

You're going to get your wish, Capitol Hill, the SPD is going to be 50% defunded, not because money will be moved to social workers and mental health professionals, but because the city won't be able to afford it once Amazon leaves. The waterfall effect is going to be amazing, all the restaurants and bars and stores small businesses that ride on Amazon's HQ, all the other high paying financial and software businesses that don't want to pay this tax, all the homeowners who bail before their property values plummet, they're all taking Seattle's tax money with them elsewhere. And then what, city services? City busses, SPD, SFD, Seattle.gov, what are you going to do?

What are they going to do? Who knows, because Seattle City Council isn't saying shit.

 

[AnOminous]

What they aren't noticing is that after Sawant's pet tax project passed, Amazon has done exactly what every rational, non-idiot would do: prepare to move out. Amazon has said they're hiring 10k jobs in Bellevue, and is meanwhile letting one of their prominent Seattle leases expire.

This was as predictable as sunset and these stupid communist motherfuckers were told this over and over.

 

[Jigglyjogglers]

This was as predictable as sunset and these stupid communist motherfuckers were told this over and over.

These are, after all, the people that haven't figured out that communism and socialism don't work yet. I think it's safe to say that learning from previous examples is just not something they can do.

 

[kaien]

Even if you leave most political considerations aside, there are plenty of good reasons to get out of Seattle proper. The cost of living rises every day and the traffic is hell. It's why most big tech and industry companies were never in the city in the first place -- Microsoft, Nintendo, Boeing, Valve, they're all out in the suburbs or on the distant edges of the city.

Seattle has no leverage over Amazon. They can play regulatory arbitrage all up and down the Puget Sound if they feel like it.

 

[AnOminous]

Seattle has no leverage over Amazon. They can play regulatory arbitrage all up and down the Puget Sound if they feel like it.

I think it's somewhat asinine to cater specifically to companies like Amazon with giant tax breaks and other bullshit, especially when companies like that often take the tax break, stick around until they find a better deal, then just leave again. Companies like this do not have their loyalties bought because their loyalties are to shareholders, not the public.

That said, it's absolute lunacy to actively try to drive them away because "muh gommunism."

 

[Burned Man]

These are, after all, the people that haven't figured out that communism and socialism don't work yet. I think it's safe to say that learning from previous examples is just not something they can do.

Yeah but this isn't REAL Sawant Amazon tax hikes. No has ever tried real Sawant Amazon taxes before.

 

[ForTheHoard]

Yeah but this isn't REAL Sawant Amazon tax hikes. No has ever tried real Sawant Amazon taxes before.

If Amazon leaves, will they keep calling it the Amazon tax?

 

[Mooger Meng]

If Amazon leaves, will they keep calling it the Amazon tax?

It rolls off the tongue better than "Stupid Motherfucker Tax".

 

[kaien]

I think it's somewhat asinine to cater specifically to companies like Amazon with giant tax breaks and other bullshit, especially when companies like that often take the tax break, stick around until they find a better deal, then just leave again. Companies like this do not have their loyalties bought because their loyalties are to shareholders, not the public.

Oh, no disagreement there. Amazon has been especially shameless about this kind of thing. e.g. with their ridiculous "search" for their second headquarters location. But trying to stick someone up when they know all you've got is a squirt gun, you're just embarrassing yourself.

 

[Kane Lives]

So what happens when business flees Seattle? Are we going to get a dead city, ala Detroit?

 

[Absolutego]

So what happens when business flees Seattle? Are we going to get a dead city, ala Detroit?

Nah, Amazon's just learning why both Microsoft and Boeing no longer maintain offices in Seattle proper. Their new facility in Bellevue (right across the lake from Seattle) is now going to host 25k employees instead of the initially planned 10k.

 

[Jigglyjogglers]

So what happens when business flees Seattle? Are we going to get a dead city, ala Detroit?

Seattle can probably survive a little better than Detroit just on tourism and the fact that it's not as infamous for being Murder Central. Among other things it's a very convenient destination for people going on Alaskan cruises or heading over into Vancouver. It also has a handful of established conventions that... oop, no, forgot, This Is The New Normal™, if the people running Seattle get their way there'll never be another convention again, unless it's a Democrat National one (those are apparently immune to the coof).

It'll probably die a slower death than Detroit but it'll die all the same.

 

[NoReturn]

Seattle can probably survive a little better than Detroit just on tourism and the fact that it's not as infamous for being Murder Central.

It's right on track to become infamous for being homeless-central, though:

 

[Mind Goblins]

So what happens when business flees Seattle? Are we going to get a dead city, ala Detroit?

I don't think it will die, but it will definitely shift. The port would likely become the primary driving force of the city's economy again, since no megacorp tax will be able to change the fact that the Port of Seattle is (according to their website anyway) "the fourth-largest container gateway in North America," or at least not as quickly. If the city council decided that shipping is evil and needs taxing that could change, but I'd expect that a chunk of that change would have to wait for other nearby ports to ramp up their infrastructure to accommodate it.

 

[Absolutego]

I don't think it will die, but it will definitely shift. The port would likely become the primary driving force of the city's economy again, since no megacorp tax will be able to change the fact that the Port of Seattle is (according to their website anyway) "the fourth-largest container gateway in North America," or at least not as quickly. If the city council decided that shipping is evil and needs taxing that could change, but I'd expect that a chunk of that change would have to wait for other nearby ports to ramp up their infrastructure to accommodate it.

It is to the city's credit that the nearest decent harbor on the Pacific is way down in Oakland, and that Tacoma's even more of a poorly run mess than Seattle.

 

[Sped Xing]

I don't think it will die, but it will definitely shift. The port would likely become the primary driving force of the city's economy again, since no megacorp tax will be able to change the fact that the Port of Seattle is (according to their website anyway) "the fourth-largest container gateway in North America," or at least not as quickly. If the city council decided that shipping is evil and needs taxing that could change, but I'd expect that a chunk of that change would have to wait for other nearby ports to ramp up their infrastructure to accommodate it.

So watch the demographics swing from "commie who makes 80k a year deleting facebook posts" to "longshoreman."

A different, far less mentally ill sort of democrat.

 

[GatorWrasslin]

So watch the demographics swing from "commie who makes 80k a year deleting facebook posts" to "longshoreman."

Just imagine, the Ballard neighborhood could return to its fishing and boating roots.

 

[DeadFish]

Dock workers and the like have a long reputation with smuggling and organized crime. Maybe the local democrats would be fine with that?