Mona - Thanks for that intersting comment. As someone who has lived in WA for a long time, I find your pointed observations and criticisms dead-on accurate. I used to really like it here, but in recent years it has become incredibly difficult for me to enjoy living here: As I mentioned earlier, this is supposed to be a liberal sanctuary but even with the huge number of uber-wealthy individuals and corporations one will never find a more stingy, nasty population when it comes to public works, general improvements, etc. And now, after the legislature has just ended another session with severe cuts to more public programs, I wouldn’t want to be poor or disabled around here.

EZ—- you big bully! stop picking on that little bully.

http://youtu.be/j5lU52aWTJo

@ Surfboy

Dude, how dare you call me a bully.

I would be well within my rights to be deeply offended by your remarks.

What about all the strategic oil reserve stuff???

That is not relevant to Washington State, employment statistics or any of this.

You are being a jerk and obviously don’t want this to end.

Like I said before, have a shitty day butthole and thanks for nothing.

See you later alligator.

@ Surfboy

You still haven’t addressed the irrelevance of your initial comment.

Stop being such a coward.

Fuck

You now have another choice to make if you choose to respond.

I’ve lived in WA State since 1986. One of the most ironic and ridiculous phenomena occurs here:

Boeing, the state’s largest most iconic private institution pays virtually NOTHING in taxes (http://www.seattlepi.com/boeing/article/Report-claims-Boeing-paid-no-taxes-over-past-2251088.php

Microsoft is pretty good at dodging taxes as well: http://microsofttaxdodge.com/response-to-common-criticisms-of-microsoft-tax-dodge-.html

Amazon does a good job of wriggling out of paying taxes: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017895493_amazonsalestax03.html

Here in my state there’s been a LOT of discussion about the loopholes and tax breaks given a lot of the large, iconic businesses but no headway is being made. Why?

Because the dumb-fuck citizens here have voted to hog-tie the legislature with incredible rules that keep it from implementing tax reforms. (Of course, conservatives call the elimination of loopholes tax hikes…go figure).
This happens because we have a California-style initiative process that let’s stupid people vote against their own self interest.

Also, all of these “job creators” threaten to leave the state if they’re required to pay into the state coffers. One day last year I was listening to the head of the WA State Round Table who basically came out and said as much. In other words, corporations can basically threaten the legislature and the citizens.

And yet, my small business friends (who blame unions, teachers, public employees, etc. for all our budget problems) are getting creamed with taxes because the big boys don’t pay any. There are lots of strange, incestuous relationships here in WA State.

You know the uber-irony of this is that in western WA, we are considered to be “liberal” (in stark contrast to eastern WA which is more like UT…...so conservative that it hurts…..oh, and many farmers out that way take government subsidies….go figure).

Yes, yes, these big businesses certainly do create jobs, but their employees use all the same (dwindling) services that the rest of us use. Boeing is the perfect example of a corporation that is “dedicated to education” and yet manages to pay nothing into a system that badly needs to train new workers. They’re more than happy to “socialize” that cost to the community colleges and universities that are being “de-funded.”

I could go on, but our situation is emblematic of many of the issues we talk about here on TD. Many of you want to change the system. Many of you believe in and preach a more egalitarian way to do things in America…Unfortunately, as long as corporations have all the gold, they make (and break) the rules for their own profit and benefit.

So it’s pretty clear what the mantra in “the American Dream” America is: screw you if you can’t find a job.

Oh one more thing….you should see how social services for the truly needy in WA have been cut. Zeus help you should you be disabled, mentally impaired, etc….You’re really screwed. Perhaps the legislature would find it easier to simply propose “exposing” all of the imperfect people out there….heck, it worked for the Spartans…..

@ Surfboy

That explaination made little more sense then this sentence from your previous comment…

“Maybe we are so wealthy that we don’t see the slums and hunger in other countries that our benign corporations are supporting in foreign lands.”

In case you didn’t see the problem, you wrote “in other countries” followed by “in foreign lands” which was a bit redundant.

Anyhow, I still don’t see how the comment was relevant.

The last and only book I can recall reading in which economics was the main subject is “Cornered: Monopoly Capitalism And The Economics Of Destruction”. I didn’t finish it.

Have a shitty day butthole and thanks for nothing.

The un- and under employed in this nation should look to the tactics of our bretheren in Europe and the Mid-East. In actual fact this group constitutes a union of sorts with the benefit of not being fired or subject to other anti-labor legalities should they go “on strike”. Basically, this group should do what the powerful unions of the past did and shut the whole damn economy down! If a company or industry slashes its workforce for whatever reason it should be shut down in toto and not permitted to function at all. A national general strike is what is needed now to find out once and for all who those parasites that we “elect” actually work for! Perhaps a global workers’ revolution is what this nation’s citizens should join to put paid to the criminality and inhumanity of this rapacious economic system known as free market capitalism! FREE BRADLEY MANNING & TIM DeCHRISTOPHER!!!!!

The un- and under employed in this nation should look to the tactics of our bretheren in Europe and the Mid-East. In actual fact this group constitutes a union of sorts with the benefit of not being fired or subject to other anti-labor legalities should they go “on strike”. Basically, this group should do what the powerful unions of the past did and shut the whole damn economy down! If a company or industry slashes its workforce for whatever reason it should be shut down in toto and not permitted to function at all. A national general strike is what is needed now to find out once and for all who those parasites that we “elect” actually work for! Perhaps a global workers’ revolution is what this nation’s citizens should join to put paid to the criminality and inhumanity of this rapacious economic system known as free market capitalism! FREE BRADLEY MANNING & TIM DeCHRISTOPHER!!!!!

The un- and under employed in this nation should look to the tactics of our bretheren in Europe and the Mid-East. In actual fact this group constitutes a union of sorts with the benefit of not being fired or subject to other anti-labor legalities should they go “on strike”. Basically, this group should do what the powerful unions of the past did and shut the whole damn economy down! If a company or industry slashes its workforce for whatever reason it should be shut down in toto and not permitted to function at all. A national general strike is what is needed now to find out once and for all who those parasites that we “elect” actually work for! Perhaps a global workers’ revolution is what this nation’s citizens should join to put paid to the criminality and inhumanity of this rapacious economic system known as free market capitalism! FREE BRADLEY MANNING & TIM DeCHRISTOPHER!!!!!

Why don’t all the unemployed in the country descend on Washington in front of the White House and demand jobs - what else do they have to do and what else do they have to lose?

@ Surfboy

I am grasping for any connection, even a non-rational one to the article or to any of the previous comments (in this case there is just one).

I feel you are persecuting me with your irrelevant remarks and it is terrifying to say the least.

Please show some mercy!!!

Oh wait, was it meant for the Iran article???

Even then it is a bit of a stretch.

Can’t you see what you are doing!!!

You know what this means…

Unemployment is about to officially go down even further in Washington State (by default).

Hooray!!!

I like the way those numbers look.