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[Washington]🦀Tim Eyman fined $2.6M, banned from directing political cmte finances🦀

DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
edited February 2021 in Debate and/or Discourse
Washington: It's a state!

In here we discuss state, county, and local politics and occasionally talk about how Tacoma is just fine, tbh.

Some helpful links:
Previous thread
Tim Eyman, stealing an office chair from an Office Depot



matt shea is a domestic terrorist and embarrassment to the washington legislature

Dehumanized on
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  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    Tim Eyman is just pissed he doesn’t scam the system as well as I do.

  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    Another art gallery in Seattle is closing and leaving town forever.

    As a resident of the city and an appreciator of the arts, I'm really quite extremely tired of tech's increasing municipal saturation shoving all other forms of commerce and occupancy out of town. Every year we lose at least one or two art galleries because rent has gotten too high thanks to Amazon and who-the-fuck-ever else is lapping up their sloppy runoff, driving up market prices for commercial and residential space. I've already seen more than a few of my personal haunts in my neighborhood of LQA get the gentrification and redevelopment axe, and it's made the neighborhood worse for wear and less interesting to walk around, to boot.

    And my rent continues to go up! Like honestly what the fuck.

  • GONG-00GONG-00 Registered User regular
    When I was in town for Pax West last year, I was given a tour of the city by a journalist relative. It was an eye opening experience to have so many buildings being pointed out to me as belonging to Amazon. What stuck out to me was that many of them lacked the Bezos' Wang Arrow logo to denote that they even belonged to Amazon.

    Black lives matter.
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  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    it happened really fucking fast too, as shown by this nice graphic put together by the Seattle Times 2 years ago. The pace of their expansion has not slowed at all in the last 2 years.

    https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/watch-amazons-seattle-campus-quadruple-in-size-in-a-decade/
    amazon-footprint-yr2-780x780.gif

  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    The city basically belongs to Amazon at this point. They rent or own a tremendous amount of office space in downtown, and are probably the majority business presence within Seattle, at this point. A lot of other tech companies have opened up offices here to recruit local coders and developers from Amazon and Microsoft who are severely burnt out from their time at Big Corpo. It's fucking nuts. Facebook has a somewhat major presence here, for example.

  • BrodyBrody The Watch The First ShoreRegistered User regular
    I'm interested to see how Paul Allens passing affects Vulcan, and their relationship with Amazon. I don't really care for Amazon taking over everything ever, but at the same time, working as a subcontractor for large scale construction projects means my livelihood is slightly dependent on this sort of growth.

    "I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."

    The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

    Steam: Korvalain
  • BurtletoyBurtletoy Registered User regular
    Well, after they axed the head count tax cause amazon said they would cap their growth in seattle if they kept the head count tax amazon *checks notes* announced they are capping growth in seattle.

    This was part of the announcement when they said no to HQ2 in new york

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    GONG-00 wrote: »
    When I was in town for Pax West last year, I was given a tour of the city by a journalist relative. It was an eye opening experience to have so many buildings being pointed out to me as belonging to Amazon. What stuck out to me was that many of them lacked the Bezos' Wang Arrow logo to denote that they even belonged to Amazon.

    Per the Times, it’s basically unparalleled in the US. You’ll find some small towns and suburbs that are dominated by a single employer (Microsoft in Redmond is mentioned, for instance) but no other major US city has a downtown/central urban presence quite like Amazon’s.

    https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/thanks-to-amazon-seattle-is-now-americas-biggest-company-town/

    As of that writing, Amazon’s Seattle footprint was 8 million sqft, heading to 12 million in the next few years. The next largest corporate presence was (IIRC) CitiBank, which has 4 million. In New York City.

    And as somebody who moved to the area in 2009, it is insane how quickly it happened. Amazon was “a thing” when I got here, they were already large, and they’ve grown by an order of magnitude since, from like 5K-7K employees in Seattle to what, 55K or something now?

    mcdermott on
  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    Facebook has somewhere upwards of 2000 Seattle employees, and plans to expand to rent out enough space to support 6,000 employees here.

    Currently, Google operates out of a handful of office buildings in Fremont but is moving to a new 5-building HQ just north of Mercer in SLU that will fit ~4800-6300 employees. Previously they had said they plan to vacate Fremont after the new HQ is done; but have since been cagey about whether or not they actually plan to do that. In Aug 2018 Google had around 3000 employees in King county, with some stationed in a Kirkland office. Two years prior to that, they had 1900 employees in the county.

    Dehumanized on
  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    I'd say Boening also had a large foot print in this area, especially in the Everett/Renton areas. Like they didn't buy up downtown, but when they said jump state government said how high.

    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Prior to Microsoft's ascension in the '90s (and, more importantly for Seattle proper, the dotcom boom) I think it'd be pretty fair to describe Seattle as a Boeing company town, yeah. Hell, Boeing still hires just over 69k employees in Washington. So many of their operations are out in the suburbs that it doesn't have the same sort of impact that Amazon infesting SLU does on the city.

  • BrodyBrody The Watch The First ShoreRegistered User regular
    Especially when you consider how many small shops we have that make 1 or 2 parts for Boeing, and thats all they do.

    "I will write your name in the ruin of them. I will paint you across history in the color of their blood."

    The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

    Steam: Korvalain
  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    Prior to Microsoft's ascension in the '90s (and, more importantly for Seattle proper, the dotcom boom) I think it'd be pretty fair to describe Seattle as a Boeing company town, yeah. Hell, Boeing still hires just over 69k employees in Washington. So many of their operations are out in the suburbs that it doesn't have the same sort of impact that Amazon infesting SLU does on the city.

    Very true. If you live on the extreme south edge of Seattle or in Renton/Tukwila, Boeing is just like Amazon. Every glass tower within five miles of Renton has their name on it.

    I think you can find a lot of examples of companies that exert a lot of political power by virtue of their employee count in an area. Amazon’s physical control of such a huge part of an urban core just adds another dimension to that. In additon to all the normal influence a company exerts over tax policy, employee protections, etc. Amazon also had a dominant interest in what our downtown streets actually look like. It’s just another layer of control.

  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    Amazon also uses Seattle as it's test market for a lot of shit. Those cashier-less convenience stores you read about on Gizmodo or Wired? They started here. Don't be surprised to see them in LA AND NYC in the future. Same day delivery to Amazon Lockers? Not available in a lot of other places, but they got their start here, and now they're EVERYWHERE in Seattle.

    This is just the big stuff you know about. They do tons of other experiments on the populace and their local customers that people know little if anything about, and less and less of it makes the news. A lot of times it gets pawned off as "lol Amazon is doing something new and quiet anyways here's some leftists screaming about Trump". We've basically become a less interesting version of the Seattle envisioned by Shadowrun.

  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    It doesn't bother me that amazon wants to test stuff here? I mean at the very least the amazon kill bots add a certain je ne sais quoi to the area.

    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • StraygatsbyStraygatsby Registered User regular
    Hey ya'll, I just stopped in this thread to apologize for Pierce County.

    In general.

    Like, it might not be something right now, but it will be something.

  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    edited February 2019
    Pierce is nowhere near the worst county in the state.

    EDIT: Seattle has a lot to apologize for still, especially to the homeless, disadvantaged, and the arts community that is seems to content to brush off, ignore, or viciously exploit in order to lure more corporate presence to within municipal borders. It's disgusting.

    Hacksaw on
  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    Hacksaw wrote: »
    Pierce is nowhere near the worst county in the state.

    EDIT: Seattle has a lot to apologize for still, especially to the homeless, disadvantaged, and the arts community that is seems to content to brush off, ignore, or viciously exploit in order to lure more corporate presence to within municipal borders. It's disgusting.

    Well clark remains the #1 shit berg county in the state, negative revenue and measels outbreaks. A lot of other counties would have to really fuck up to be worst.

    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    edited February 2019
    Christ, the fucking Measles outbreak. HOPEFULLY our lawmakers keep their heads firmly outside the boundaries of their own assholes and pass that law that requires parents to vaccinate their fucking children!

    GIVE YOUR KIDS THEIR DAMN SHOTS YOU FUCKING WACKOS

    Hacksaw on
  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    Hacksaw wrote: »
    Christ, the fucking Measles outbreak! Hopefully our lawmakers keep their heads firmly outside the boundaries of their own assholes and pass that law that requires parents to vaccinate their fucking children!

    GIVE YOUR KIDS THEIR DAMN SHOTS YOU FUCKING WACKOS

    But then they might get the autisms!

    I still found it insane on the eve of the worst snow storm the west side has had for like almost thirty fucking years these wackadoodles risked lives to hold a rally supporting their dumb shit beliefs. I mean its par for the course to not give a shit about anyone around them to espouse their stupidity but still.

    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    I don't know what kind of crazy world y'all live in. We have a squirrel bridge where I'm from.

  • MeeqeMeeqe Lord of the pants most fancy Someplace amazingRegistered User regular
    I keep sharing that Tim Eyman video with people and I still can't even. Its even worse after reading his legal arguments about the incident, he just CLEARLY waits til no one is looking and walks out the door with goods.

  • evilmrhenryevilmrhenry Registered User regular
    Meeqe wrote: »
    I keep sharing that Tim Eyman video with people and I still can't even. Its even worse after reading his legal arguments about the incident, he just CLEARLY waits til no one is looking and walks out the door with goods.

    https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/eyman-charged-with-misdemeanor-theft-attorneys-call-chairs-removal-from-store-an-accident/
    See, it was an honest mistake. He simply liked the chair, took it to his car, then went inside to pay for it. He then simply forgot to pay for the chair! I think all of us have been in the position of taking merchandise to our car, then forgetting to pay for it, as well as choosing the display model of an item instead of looking around for a new, in-box item.

    '“He acted wary when I told him I would help him take the printers out to the car,” a store employee told police. “When we got to his vehicle, he insisted I leave the printers on the ground next to his vehicle.”'

  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    How do we make this story even dumber?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAj5VqCf2Xc

    https://www.seattlepi.com/local/crime/article/YouTube-Eyman-Office-Depot-shoplifting-13634279.php

    Also, somehow a man who declared bankruptcy and shoplifted a chair decides it's a good idea to casually mention he just got back from vacation at Universal Studios.

    Schrodinger on
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    So the question is... would including the Office Deport footage in campaign ads against Eyman's latest initiative qualify as fair use?

  • CaptainPeacockCaptainPeacock Board Game Hoarder Top o' the LakeRegistered User regular
    I have to say I'm thankful for my Seattle area job that isn't Amazon and isn't really affected by them.

    Cluck cluck, gibber gibber, my old man's a mushroom, etc.
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    I have to say I'm thankful for my Seattle area job that isn't Amazon and isn't really affected by them.

    I suppose that might be true if you own your own house and work within walking distance.

  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    I might actually get to meet my representative face to face specifically on account of not living in Washington.

    I feel like I just Mr. Magoo my way in to these things.

  • PreacherPreacher Registered User regular
    Quid wrote: »
    I might actually get to meet my representative face to face specifically on account of not living in Washington.

    I feel like I just Mr. Magoo my way in to these things.

    "Oh hey I don't pay any part of your salary."

    I would like some money because these are artisanal nuggets of wisdom philistine.

    pleasepaypreacher.net
  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    Preacher wrote: »
    Quid wrote: »
    I might actually get to meet my representative face to face specifically on account of not living in Washington.

    I feel like I just Mr. Magoo my way in to these things.

    "Oh hey I don't pay any part of your salary."

    I paid sales taxes for, like, ten days this year!

  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Certainly doesn't seem much of a surprise, but the Seattle Weekly is ceasing print publication

    https://crosscut.com/2019/02/seattle-weekly-cease-print-publication

  • Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    It sure would suck to be moving to Seattle in a month and the only comments for it are grim and depressing.

  • AiouaAioua Ora Occidens Ora OptimaRegistered User regular
    It sure would suck to be moving to Seattle in a month and the only comments for it are grim and depressing.

    Well the Seattlites who still like it here *cough* don't speak up much because even in the best of times we're still culturally conditioned to pessimism and anhedonia.

    life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
    fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
    that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
    bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
  • kimekime Queen of Blades Registered User regular
    There are a lot of societal issues with Seattle and the surrounding area. But tbh it's above-average, in my opinion. We're happy here, although we're part of the recently-ish tech people who moved so some would argue we're part of the problem :P

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  • Phoenix-DPhoenix-D Registered User regular
    Also buy a box of N95 masks sometime in June. >.<

  • shalmeloshalmelo sees no evil Registered User regular
    I'm one of the dozen people whose commute was drastically improved by the 99 tunnel, and they aren't tolling it for a few more months so I'm liking Seattle just fine for the moment. Talk to me in a few weeks.

    Steam ID: Shalmelo || LoL: melo2boogaloo || tweets
  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    I love living in Seattle. My career kept up with the the rent hikes, so I don't feel the pinch a lot of people have. If you can afford to live here, and you're at all proactive about being social, you'll find a lot to do and a lot of amazing people. The screwed up economic situation is just screwing a lot of people over and it's damned hard to have a good time when you can't pay rent, and a lot of cool little spots are getting emptied.

    Outside of other people being screwed, my biggest complaints that aren't my own fault are the commute and the terrible men's clothing options.

  • Styrofoam SammichStyrofoam Sammich WANT. normal (not weird)Registered User regular
    Yeah find a city without problems

    wq09t4opzrlc.jpg
  • David WalgasDavid Walgas Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    I like Seattle! It could be better but it’s pretty neat now too. I wish rent was cheaper like everyone else but being about an hour or 3 drive from so many biomes and how welcoming a lot of groups in town are (except for D&D dammit) makes it feel a less big city anonymous. If you get past a “Maybe!” or the Seattle No that is.

    On a politics note,
    “Dear Davidwalgas –

    Thanks for your message and for sharing your concerns regarding HB 2123. I have consistently opposed legislative attempts to undermine Sound Transit. Voters in the Sound Transit area approved the motor vehicle excise tax increase that is helping to fund the ST3 projects, and their decision should not be overturned by legislators who represent people who do not pay the taxes. I will oppose this bill if it makes it out of the House.”
    From my State Senator and similar statements from my Reps and a few others in town, re:H2123. So it’s here’s hoping they can squash the latest attempt to kill ST3!

    Welcome to Seattle Ninja Snarl P!

    David Walgas on
  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    edited February 2019
    Seattlites are mostly tired of the endless wave of Californians moving North. We've got enough living here already!

    EDIT: Also the tech sector has made things so unlivable for people in the arts and fringe communities that I might have to just give up and retrain to be a coder to afford my rent. And I hate coders!

    Hacksaw on
This discussion has been closed.