Do you find Seattle's unilateral political culture to be a weakness?

[mrt144]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

Resoundingly successful city? No, the city was given a great headstart as a result of being tech-centric. Again, all one needs do is look at Bellevue for seeing the long-term ramifications of Seattle policies. Businesses are increasingly abandoning Seattle for the surrounding area where the climate isn't so ridiculously overbearing. Couple it with the fact that the "liberal principles" have done little other than create a booming homelessness population (something you don't see in Bellevue), no more effective environmental or aesthetic quality than the surrounding area that doesn't have those restrictions, etc. and I'm failing to see a whole heck of a lot the city of Seattle has done to make the city of Seattle stand out from the rest of the region.

All one has to do is look at Amazon in SLU to refute your point about businesses increasingly abandoning Seattle. Or Russell Financial Services from Tacoma to Seattle.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by mrt144

All one has to do is look at Amazon in SLU to refute your point about businesses increasingly abandoning Seattle. Or Russell Financial Services from Tacoma to Seattle.

Amazon was already there. And Russell always had a presence in the central district. Your entire argument is invalid.

[mrt144]

Russell moved their HQ from Tacoma, if this isnt an example of what youre talking about then youre clearly a sophist. You are trying to handwave reasonable counter examples of businesses NOT moving away from as being categorically different without any solid reason. Do you have any examples of companies with more than 50 employees relocating from seattle to bellevue and vice versa? You probably stupidly just made up this idea of a great hemorrhaging due to taxes and now that youve been taken to task you fall back on a no-true-scottsman fallacy.

[mrt144]

Your disingenuous claim fits a great narrative and confirms your own biases though so theres that.

[jertheber]

Sliding into slimy debate, Seattle's politics is what it is, why? Well for one it's an old union town, heavy on the manufacturing side, blue collar trades and the center for NW extractive resource markets. Mining, fishing, timber, that's the history, tech is now overshadowing these economic anchors but the body politic hasn't been changed much because of this shift.

Capitalism= just another ism, most people know it doesn't really exist anywhere let alone in a laboring town. Relax a little and enjoy the fruits of all that has been wrung from the NW brought to you by raving socialists, communists, AND capitalists, quit arguing over politics and just let the town and it's people be what they are. Or, move to Arizona where most people think public hanging should be brought back, and Sheriff Joe would be glad to do the job for free..How about Alaska, Sarah and company may be just the ticket to your alleviation of the liberal blues.

I've watched Seattle become a major player in the arena of clean-tech, aviation, bio tech, and a host of other things that make it a likely place to find your niche, but, if it's political consensus on a personal level that gets you rockin then you'll probably need to find a new home.

[That Smell]

Seattle doesn't have a political culture but an entitlement mentality. The political gibberish is just a convenient way to make them feel better in numbers.

[Woof]

That "entitlement mentality" must be a powerful force, given the successes of liberal cities like NY, LA, Boston, and Seattle.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by mrt144

Russell moved their HQ from Tacoma, if this isnt an example of what youre talking about then youre clearly a sophist. You are trying to handwave reasonable counter examples of businesses NOT moving away from as being categorically different without any solid reason. Do you have any examples of companies with more than 50 employees relocating from seattle to bellevue and vice versa? You probably stupidly just made up this idea of a great hemorrhaging due to taxes and now that youve been taken to task you fall back on a no-true-scottsman fallacy.

Apparently I need to hold a class to teach you what the definition of a "presence" is vs. stating "headquartered"? It's the only explanation I could come up with as to why you wasted so much space talking about how they moved their headquarters from Tacoma while completely ignoring the true statement that they already had a presence here. Whatever helps fit your ridiculous argument though, I guess.

[That Smell]

Originally Posted by Woof

That "entitlement mentality" must be a powerful force, given the successes of liberal cities like NY, LA, Boston, and Seattle.

The mentality itself is excrement, but those who are trained to embrace it are the ones who are doing the sort of make-work that enables a globalized effort to maximize corporate profits and they are more motivated toward the romance of an easily maneuvered magazine lifestyle than the more stodgy and simple, who refuse to accept science and government as the new god and church out of a dying habit.

I am surprised that liberals of today are so happy with manufactured wealth (that is, claimed wealth given its arbitrary value by fiat). A belief that adhering to it is a stepping stone to the quaint vision of economic equality for 'all' or the result of allowing the tail-end of the boomer generation to finally prove to themselves they too are successful economically and have made progress? The kids sure like it enough but those kids have been trained to think Guttenberg's creation only means free money can be passed all around.

Places such as you've listed are always going to be successful (except the bootstrapped Seattle, which has a family with a wunderkind out to make people as smooth-running as his software), but there is nothing liberal about any of them beyond the fact that they have replaced old traditions with new ones in the most laid-back sort of way, although I would not describe NY or L.A. as particularly liberal, rather than having an organized base led charmingly by folks beholden to corporate interests of many disparate groups seemingly interested in taking out the Old White Boys' Network. In other words, these issues they support were granted to them, not won by them. In Seattle, brow-beaters have succeeded in doing exactly what other than exhibit their obnoxious dogma thru a form of faith-based obstinate haranguing? Marijuana legalization and SSM 'rights' were granted, not won, and only because the powers that be actually honored their promises made thru extortion or trade. That I know for certain. Also, that liberals will be honored by history as the political identity that allowed and encouraged Corporate Authoritarianism to be enthroned solidly, or whatever the cultural shift will be termed in future e-textbooks, in so many words.