When the Dori Monson Show emails...

which side are you on?

That tweet there isn't some kind of fable about what happens when rich people embrace their worst instincts and scorn their community. It's the news, today.

And it really distills what (and who) is behind the push to repeal Seattle's new big business tax and eliminate funding for affordable housing.

Now we the people have to decide which side we're on.

If you live or work in Seattle, you may already be seeing paid signature gatherers who are out to try and repeal the city's new tax on big businesses. We've seen this before: it's pretty typical for these kinds of paid signature gatherers to use deceptive language and even intentionally mislead voters.

We want to hear what you're hearing: if you see someone gathering signatures to repeal the city's new tax on big businesses, let us know where you see them, and what they're saying.

Right now in Seattle, some of the richest humans and the largest corporations in the world are coming out in full force to try to mislead us and distract us from the real problems: housing affordability & homelessness. They're trying to use threats and lies to get their way. They're creating a climate of hatred towards poor people to advance an anti-government, trickle-down agenda. But we can't let them get away with it.

So as this conversation continues in Seattle, across the state, and across the nation, here's some key information to keep in mind.

• The biggest businesses in our city need to do their part too. While the rapid growth of high-paying jobs at big corporations has brought big money to Seattle, it's also driven up rent and other costs of living for everyone else who's not working in the tech industry. Just like the rest of us pay our taxes, the 600 or so biggest businesses in the city should also pay towards helping address our citywide housing & homelessness crisis.
• The biggest businesses are the only ones that pay the tax — not fast food workers, not construction workers, not you, and not me. Amazon will pay $11 million — or about 0.006% of their global revenue last year. Only the top 600 or so companies in Seattle will pay the tax. The Puget Sound Business Journal estimates that Uwajimaya will contribute a total of about $60,000 on annual revenue of more than $20 million. Dick's Drive-In will contribute about $50,000 on annual revenue of more than $20 million. This is an effective tax rate of about 0.2% on these businesses.
• This isn't about money, it's about power. Giant corporations like Amazon simply don't want to do their part. Instead of paying their taxes, they want to be paid tribute. So they're stoking a climate of hatred towards poor people, trying to undermine the very idea that government has a role to play to address income inequality and our housing crisis. Because that way, they're in charge, and the rest of us don't have a say.
• We get to make decisions about what kind of community we want to live in. Amazon doesn't own Seattle, the people do!

Click here to share your thoughts, ask any questions you may have, or report an experience with a signature gatherer.

Right now, we have a choice before us & we have to decide as a community which side we're on: Is Seattle a playground of the rich, where corporations and the top 1% run the show? Or do the people of the city run our city, so that corporations are made to do their part to address our housing crisis?

You can help make sure this question gets answered in the best way possible. Let us know what you think and what you're seeing today.

Badaboom, badabing

Amazon thought they made Seattle an offer we couldn't refuse. When the company’s top executives threatened the city's entire economy over a modest tax on large businesses, Amazon broke new ground on out-of-control  corporate misbehavior — all because the richest human in the world would rather evade taxes than do his part to address our homelessness crisis.

This was a threat, not an argument. And it was about intimidation, not resources. After all, Amazon's attempt to rough up the city came just weeks after the company announced plans to generate $2 billion in additional revenue by raising their per-head charge on Amazon Prime customers by $20.

But Seattle refused to knuckle under. The public rejected Amazon's subprime mob boss behavior. And the company moved, fast. First Amazon insisted last fall and again earlier this month that in their opinion, the right amount of resources for housing & homelessness was $0. They threatened to take their balls and go home over it... and then they quickly agreed to $25 million. The City Council majority didn't blink, and today Amazon and their allies backed a $50 million tax on big businesses to support affordable housing and services for homeless people.

Badaboom, badabing. The people of Seattle stood up and made real progress on this one.

But there's more to do. Our city, our region, and our state need to make more dramatic investments in affordable housing so everyone has a place to call home; we need to ensure giant corporations and the top 1% pay their fair share; and we need to do what it takes to ensure that never again can the rich and powerful try to take a whole city hostage just because they don't want to be told no.

This week, Seattle showed once again that we can get it done.

Nice little city you got there...

Amazon is literally run by the world's richest person. Of course they should pay their taxes. But in the midst of a homelessness crisis in their hometown, Amazon isn't interested in doing their part.

Instead, they're making it worse.

Amazon is not only opposing a City Council proposal for a progressive tax on the few hundred largest businesses in Seattle. They're actually threatening the people of Seattle by claiming they'll pause construction depending on how and when the City Council votes. That's not just greed — it's behavior you might expect from a subprime mob boss lording it over a company town.

It's also a crime.

Under RCW 9A.76.180, it's illegal to use threats to intimidate public servants and influence their votes. The company should be prosecuted for it.

Sign on to tell Attorney General Bob Ferguson to prosecute Amazon for their mob boss behavior. Then keep on clicking to send a letter straight to City Council members to let them know that you think Amazon needs to pay.

We know that corporations owned by the richest people in the world typically oppose progressive taxes. And we've come to expect that they'll routinely issue misleading info & make all kinds of wrong predictions about the impacts of progressive moves by public officials. While the Chicken Little routine can be tedious, it's not a felony.

But issuing threats to cause harm in order to influence the votes of elected officials is a different matter. It's a criminal act, and it should be treated as such.

If you're sick of putting up with Amazon's bullying, take action by sending a letter to Attorney General Ferguson, and then telling the Seattle City Council why you support the proposed tax for homeless services.

The city has heard enough threats from Jeff Bezos — now they need to hear from us.