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Fury, frustration erupt over Seattle’s proposed head tax for homelessness services
Seattle Times ^ | 5/4/2018 | Vianna Davila

Posted on 05/06/2018 8:45:08 AM PDT by grimalkin

Reaction to a proposed Seattle business tax for housing and homeless services jolted elected officials this week as flare-ups of opposition revealed deep frustration with the city’s handling of its homelessness crisis.

If Seattle City Council members were surprised by the reaction — including a raucous town-hall meeting in Ballard and an unexpected protest by construction workers — the response of many residents and business owners seemed to be, what took you so long?

“They’re hearing the whole story now,” said Erin Goodman, executive director of the Sodo Business Improvement Alliance, which is holding its own town hall on the tax Friday morning. “They have been listening to a very small subset for a long time and have not been listening to their actual constituents.”

(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: homeless; sawant; seattle; tax
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I love how liberals turn into pearl clutchers when they're called out.
1 posted on 05/06/2018 8:45:08 AM PDT by grimalkin
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To: grimalkin

There are no atheists in foxholes. FWIW, I’ve always been of the opinion that Amazon’s HQ2 hunt was really about sending a wakeup call to local, county, and state government in WA.


2 posted on 05/06/2018 8:48:43 AM PDT by mewzilla (Has the FBI been spying on members of Congress?)
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To: grimalkin

Several years ago while getting dressed in my Seattle hotel I was listening to the local news. This expensively dressed woman was whining, “We clothe, feed and house the homeless. Why do we still have a homeless problem?” I stopped and went over to watch the interviewer slap her down. Instead, he sympathized.

Seattle has an entire separate police force to protect the tourists from overly aggressive homeless. As I walked down the street a homeless guy started walking my way. Two green-dressed pedal bikers shot past me towards him and he immediately changed direction. I asked about them at the hotel desk and was told their entire job was keeping the tourists safe from the homeless.


3 posted on 05/06/2018 8:53:48 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: grimalkin

Hypocrites. They should happy.


4 posted on 05/06/2018 8:54:54 AM PDT by gattaca ("Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives." Ronald Reagan)
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To: grimalkin

One-way bus fare to San Fransisco...


5 posted on 05/06/2018 8:54:54 AM PDT by null and void (Urban "food deserts," are caused by urban customers' "climate change" (H/T niteowl77))
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To: mewzilla

The Times They Are A-Changin


6 posted on 05/06/2018 8:55:53 AM PDT by keving (We the government)
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To: Gen.Blather

Yet another in a long list of cities ruined by LIB idiots and by the moron LIBs they elect.


7 posted on 05/06/2018 8:56:15 AM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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To: grimalkin

“The bluest skies you’ve ever seen are in Seattle
And the hills the greenest green are in Seattle
Like a spoiled rotten child growing up stupid and wild
Full of dope and full of fears
Full of meth and full of tears
Full of shirt to last the years
In Seattle
In Seattle!”


8 posted on 05/06/2018 9:06:32 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: grimalkin

Politicians defy the public. They Dare the people to rise in opposition to them giving to the undeserving more and more of the money we earn. Our families need and deserve it more.


9 posted on 05/06/2018 9:07:42 AM PDT by Rapscallion (Mueller leads a conspiracy to frame the President. Stand by Trump!)
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To: grimalkin
Tax people to provide services for deadbeats. Then, when that attracts more deadbeats and the civic environment deteriorates, tax the people even more to clean up the mess.

Socialism in action. Intelligence AWOL.

10 posted on 05/06/2018 9:15:05 AM PDT by IronJack (A)
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To: grimalkin

NIMBYs are the root cause of homelessness. Elites don’t want apt complexes built and use zoning laws.


11 posted on 05/06/2018 9:16:44 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Democracy: The cliff's edge of Marxism)
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To: blueunicorn6

“The bluest skies you’ve ever seen are in Seattle”

Bobby or Perry?
........

“When it’s time to leave your home and your loved ones
It’s the hardest thing a boy can ever do
An’ you pray that you will find someone warm an’ sweet an’ kind
But you’re not sure what’s waiting there for you”

It’d be a blast to see that again, eh? :)


12 posted on 05/06/2018 9:26:29 AM PDT by CaptainPhilFan
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To: blueunicorn6

Not to mention the ever so swept under the rug problem with a potable water shortage ... and a rapidly expanding population. Seattle long ago past the carrying capacity of the land it sits on.


13 posted on 05/06/2018 9:28:51 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Gen.Blather

The local cops in my area do a good job keeping the panhandling under control.

Downtown Columbia is a large area and for the most part from what I can tell, the city fuzz has a handle on it.


14 posted on 05/06/2018 9:35:06 AM PDT by wally_bert (I didn't get where I am today by selling ice cream tasting of bookends, pumice stone & West Germany)
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To: Gen.Blather

The hotel clerk gave you bad information.


15 posted on 05/06/2018 9:36:12 AM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (We need a consent decree for the FBI like Obama was slapping on all those police agencies.)
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To: grimalkin
Among the possible options for the homeless-services portion of the money: 100 new tiny homes in two authorized encampments; 362 new beds in emergency shelters;...

Hell-of-a-deal...for the city. $162,337.66 per homeless person. And they will collect that tax forever. So, any thought to the nearby homeless who see brand new digs up for grabs coming to Seattle? And when they do, how do you allocated the new beds to those who want them? Finally, who does the City Council think ends up paying the $75 million. Do they really think the businesses won't pass that on to consumers? Finally, finding low cost housing for workers in Seattle is one issue, but not the same one as housing for non-working homeless people. This idea is so poorly thought out, Seattle deserves to try it.

16 posted on 05/06/2018 9:43:23 AM PDT by econjack
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To: blueunicorn6

That’s good! Did you do it?


17 posted on 05/06/2018 10:13:25 AM PDT by aquila48
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To: IronJack

If you feed them, house them, clothe them, coddle them... they will come.


18 posted on 05/06/2018 10:15:56 AM PDT by aquila48
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To: hal ogen

More proof that indiscriminate compassion is suicidal, especially when delegated to governments.


19 posted on 05/06/2018 10:27:08 AM PDT by aquila48
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To: aquila48

Yep.


20 posted on 05/06/2018 10:31:31 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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