I consider myself a Moderate Republican - a rare animal in these turbulent times and I have voted for Democrat candidates in the past at all levels of government. That being said - as bad as the GOP has gotten - I cannot and will not cross over to the Democrat party for two reasons - starting with Part One - a consistent anti-business stance on the part of political leaders at the local and state levels.
When it comes to business especially the Amazons, Boeings, and Walmarts of the world they absolutely should pay their fair share of taxes. Moreover, political leaders absolutely should not break out the titanium knee pads when corporations come a calling looking for sweetheart deals on tax breaks.
That being said people shouldn't break out their shocked faces when businesses like say Amazon react poorly when legislation comes down the pike aimed squarely at them such as the Amazon/Head Tax being forwarded by the Seattle City Council. The purpose behind the tax is a noble one - combating the exploding homelessness crisis in Seattle. However (comma) but, a tax of this nature is as regressive as it gets as it is literally a tax on jobs. Could Amazon, Starbucks and any of the other 500+ companies afford it - sure they could, but that's not the effing point. The point is for profit businesses exist to (wait for it) MAKE A PROFIT not to be a city/county/state's personal piggy bank for whatever initiative/project/gaping hole in the budget that comes up. Part of making a profit is keeping costs down. Thus if a company has a choice between incurring ex- amount of costs in one locale versus a lower price tag elsewhere and still be able to get the job done, it doesn't take an MBA to figure out which road they will go down. And make no mistake its not just this tax Amazon and other big boy/girls are fighting - its the next one(s). Because they can see the writing on the wall - if we give an inch on this they will take 10 miles next time around.
One more thing regarding the battle between Amazon and the Seattle City Council that has been touched on but will be very much a thing if Amazon carries through its threat to halt all expansion within Seattle city limits. We have heard what the construction unions have had to say, but we haven't heard too much about the plethora of small businesses whose existence is very much in peril if Amazon either doesn't build that new skyscraper downtown or occupy the other one in Rainer. It's the cafes and coffee shops located within a few blocks of either site; its the janitorial, security, and maintenance companies who would be vying for contracts; and the plethora of office/tech support gigs big corporations sub-contract out. You know those entry/mid-level jobs everyone keeps talking about. In short if Amazon goes - everything they bring to the table goes away too. Good luck getting someone else to come replace them.
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