From Newsgroup: rec.aviation.military
Yes, Seattle's local very liberal rag had this to say:
The key - Probably tough economic times are coming,
The ruling Democrats keep wanting to simply raise taxes.
They should first understand the situation and say,
rCLWe want businesses to come here. We want them to pay their employees a
lot of money. We know every state and region is in competition for good
jobs, and we want to win.rCY
That simple declaration wonrCOt change the world, but it does create a mindset, a philosophical grounding that for all the ills of corporate
America rCo and they are very, very many rCo it is better to live in a
strong economy than one that fails to put food on the table.
---------------
from
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/wa-has-a-jobs-crisis-why-wont-our-leaders-admit-it/
WA has a jobs crisis. Why wonrCOt our leaders say it?
March 22, 2026 at 8:14 am Updated March 22, 2026 at 8:14 am
Amazon buildings in South Lake Union in Seattle in January. Amazon,
Expedia Group, Meta and Microsoft all reported layoffs, albeit a small fraction of their overall employment, writes the columnist. (Kevin Clark
/ The Seattle Times)
S
Alex Fryer By Alex Fryer
Seattle Times Opinion columnist
In all the hue and cry over taxes in Olympia this year, there was one seemingly overlooked fact.
State lawmakers plugged a budget hole by tapping about $880 million from
the staterCOs rainy day fund, officially known as the Budget Stabilization Account. By law, they were able to access this only-in-emergencies money
with a simple majority vote because the staterCOs employment growth was forecast at less than 1%.
In other words, werCOre in for some stormy weather, employment-wise.
YourCOd never have guessed the job situation was that dire, given all the
talk around taxes and spending over the last few months. Most of it
centered on how rich people and big businesses would react if and when
the tax man cometh for more and more.
The job market sucking wind? DidnrCOt seem to be much of a priority.
That ought to change.
How about someone in political leadership stepping up to the microphone
and saying simply:
rCLWe want businesses to come here. We want them to pay their employees a
lot of money. We know every state and region is in competition for good
jobs, and we want to win.rCY
That simple declaration wonrCOt change the world, but it does create a mindset, a philosophical grounding that for all the ills of corporate
America rCo and they are very, very many rCo it is better to live in a
strong economy than one that fails to put food on the table.
To be sure, the economic warning light is blinking red.
In January, the Puget Sound Regional Council reported that the region
lost 12,900 jobs last year. Excluding the pandemic, this was the first
annual decrease of jobs since 2009 rCo the depths of the Great Recession.
Remember talk of rCLgreen shoots,rCY President Barack ObamarCOs garden-inspired phrase to describe tentative signs of recovery? By
comparison, werCOre seeing dead branches.
Construction, manufacturing and service sectors rCo which include
information technology rCo experienced the biggest losses.
Reductions in Big Tech got a lot of attention. Amazon, Expedia Group,
Meta and Microsoft all reported layoffs, albeit a small fraction of
their overall employment.
In an opinion piece published in a union newsletter last month, the head
of the state building trades council noted that nearly 9,955 union construction workers in Washington were out of work at the end of last
year. That number included more than 1,700 apprentices who were trying
to complete their required hours but couldnrCOt get dispatched to job sites.
Locally, the arts community is also taking it on the chin.
The historic 5th Avenue Theatre, Pacific Science Center, SIFF rCo the nonprofit that operates the annual Seattle International Film Festival
and three Seattle movie theaters rCo all reported layoffs. Longtime dinner theater Teatro ZinZanni folded its tent.
rCLRegional employment was significantly impacted by the extraordinary
amount of economic uncertainty, created by the trade and immigration
policies and the implications of a wider AI adoption,rCY intoned a report released March 12 by the Seattle Office of Economic and Revenue
Forecasts, which noted area employment declined 0.8%.
To hear Gov. Bob Ferguson tell it, werCOre doing great.
In his State of the State speech in January, the governor noted that Washington is the ninth largest economy in the nation. It dominates the
space industry and has a triple A bond rating, among other positives.
WhatrCOs more, Ferguson noted, Washington had the largest increase in
requests to form new businesses in the country. The staterCOs business applications grew 16.2% while nationwide, they dropped by nearly 5%.
rCLThe state of our state remains strong,rCY he pronounced.
But as reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal, many of these new businesses were started by out-of-work techies who had been laid off. ThererCOs a term for these folks: rCLnecessity entrepreneurs.rCY
Late last year, the Association of Washington Business released an
employers survey that asked: Does your business plan to expand in
Washington in the next year or two? Eighty-six percent answered rCLNo.rCY
Should an rCLopen for businessrCY attitude include rolling out the red
carpet for data centers and other ventures that have serious
environmental and other concerns? That ought to be scrutinized, for sure.
But I do know that Seattle and the rest of the state have benefited from
many things that are out of our control: deep ports, abundant clean
energy, temperate weather, and the good luck of being the place where talented, ambitious people wanted to make their fortunes.
ItrCOs been a long while since werCOve had to work at economic development,
a phrase seemingly created to make eyes glaze over.
So letrCOs start with something simple. A sentiment. A values statement. Something from our elected leaders along the lines of: rCLWe want business here to succeed. We want people to have great jobs. We will do
everything to make that happen.rCY
There, is that so hard?
Alex Fryer:
afryer@seattletimes.com. Alex Fryer is a member of The
Seattle Times editorial board.
(Yes, we have recently chased off several very rich entrepreneurs,
the kind of people that invest and create well paying jobs!)
(Notice Left wing Democrat NY Governor Kathy Hochul in past
told complainers to "Go to Florida!", now is requesting
them to come back!)
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