Comments

2

Let me make a little statement that may be tough for the nuance-challenged to handle.

As much as I despise Amazon, I'm glad to have 'em here, and I despise Kshama Sawant far more. If I were a downtown Bellevue real estate developer, I would (very quietly) be cheering on Ms. Sawant every day.

3

All animals are equal but some are more equal than others. Pretty sure that’s the only thing Orwellian going on here.

4

Did Rosenblum use his off-books un-FOIA'able email address to send that missive to The Stranger, or did he use his official one for once?

5

I don't like her.

6

Downtown Seattle is on the ropes. Now is not the time to incentivize our main employers to move out of the city in order to fund the drug vagrant industrial complex.

8

She is the Rand Paul of the left. Never missed an opportunity to be a prick.

9

Is there a reason Sawant is so hot to get the meetings going? Is there a deadline where if the meetings don’t happen, the legislation has to be shelved until 2021? I know being anti-Bezos is currently on trend right now due to becoming a trillionaire during a pandemic but what is driving this timing?

12

@9- he's not expected to reach trilionaire status til 2026.

13

And fuck sawant.

15

that scarf. that vest. that hair.
Kshama is rockin' it with that ensemble.
Say what you want about her, but the woman knows how to dress.

16

"I asked Lewis if he could point me to where he got that analysis. Lewis reiterated his point while adding the law code and using a bit of Latin, but did not point out anything specifically. "

Nathalie - I generally really like your writing and think you are one of the stronger members of the Stranger's editorial staff. But those lines I quoted up there are some lazy, lazy reporting. Or, maybe they are meant to hide the fact that Lewis did clearly point to the fact that Sawant is in the wrong here and you didn't want that to be clear. I mean, come on...."adding the law code and using a little bit of Latin?"

First of all, I assume by "law code" you mean he told you the chapter and paragraph of the RCW or WAC that gives the power to the governor that you were asking about? Is that right? I have no idea because you didn't tell us what "code" he gave you. I also assume you didn't bother to read it to see if it was germane. Or, maybe you did and it was but it undercut the point of your post and made it harder for The Stranger to support Sawant's position. How could I know? Knowing The Stranger, I'll go with the latter.

And that little bit of Latin was maybe a legal principle that has been used in our system of law for a long, long time (like Habeus Corpus is) and also, probably germane. Or maybe not cause we don't know what it is and are left to (hopefully, from your perspective I presume) assume that Andrew Lewis is trying his damdest to obfuscate the issue. But it sure reads to me as if you are glossing over the fact that, according to the law and established legal principles, Inslee does in fact have the power that Lewis said he does. But you're not willing to illuminate that because it undercuts your and your employer's position on the issue.

For the record:
I believe taxing Amazon and other big businesses is a good idea.
I don't think that a newspaper or a journalist having an agenda or a perspective is a bad thing out of hand. Though I do think that being unwilling to concede a point (the hearing shouldn't happen now) is mis-guided and in fact undercuts your larger position which is that big business should be taxed more than it is.
Finally I have direct experience of Andrew Lewis and his office working hard to help support small businesses make it through this pandemic and shut down. Painting him as an otherwise conservative crony in the pockets of Amazon is wrong and unfair.
Again, I generally think you do a great job at The Stranger. Better than most of the writers on staff there to be sure. But this is a pretty blatant attempt to paper over the point that that Sawant probably doesn't have a legal leg to stand on here.

17

Oh look! The men on the council are talking now. But, alas, they are not talking correctly! Nathalie's gonna get you muthafukkas.

19

I guess Seattle still has not hit bottom yet concerning bad leadership. This could take awhile.

20

@18: I didn't know that factoid about Detroit. Thanks for sharing.

21

It takes five votes to pass legislation; six to get past Jenny. Sawant and Morales have just two votes for their Amazon tax, their own.

27

When Sawant gives up her cozy home to move into Workers Collective Dormitory 12, then I'll pay attention to her.

28

Not one pro-Sawant comment!

29

@28- they've got their tongues too far up her ass to reply.

30

Oh, that’s what happened to Detroit in the 70s. I thought it was because they kept on making shitty gas guzzling land yachts in the middle of an oil shortage while Japan made quality fuel efficient vehicles people wanted.

The more you know.

31

@30: That too. Doesn't negate the other factors.

33

The council has a mandate to pass the tax and spend the money on affordable housing and a Green New Deal. We desperately need one now and we'll need it even more as time goes on. We'll have shrieking opposition, but we can't wait.


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