Quote:
Originally Posted by awareness
That upstart. That whippersnapper. That green behind the ears. That freshman. That young-blood. That interloper. AOC? Is a fireplug, a firebrand. That can leap tall buildings, and even stop the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos. Like it or not, she's a wonder woman ... shaping history.
So look out for her Green New Deal. She's coming for your cars, not your guns.
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“A small group of politicians put their own narrow political interests above their community — which poll after poll showed overwhelmingly supported bringing Amazon to Long Island City — the state’s economic future and the best interests of the people of this state,” the governor said in a statement.
Her issue was that the company was getting $3 billion in tax incentives. This is a good example of how those who are not good at math cause all the problems. Giving $3 billion in tax incentives doesn't mean you give them $3 billion, it means you give them tax breaks. What are they going to do? Build a headquarters employing construction workers and engineers and architects as well as purchasing lots of building supplies. All of those industries will be paying tax. Then they will hire 25,000 workers, all of whom will be paying tax. Once the incentives run out Amazon.com will be centered here and paying tax. In addition their location here would raise property values, which in turn raises property tax. By giving $3 billion in tax incentives you get more than $3 billion in tax revenue.
Then there is the peripheral benefit. For example this would have been a great opportunity for college students at CUNY, Columbia, Cooper Union, and NYU. Students would want to go to those schools knowing that getting a job as an intern is likely. Also there are contractors who work with Amazon.com that would have benefited.
Ocasio is an idiot.
So what are their claims: Amazon claimed 50,000 jobs would come to NYC but now are only planning on hiring 25,000. Corporations need to pay their fair share of taxes. Also, prices would go up so if you are renting it would make your life more expensive. The first complaint is a great example of how people who don't understand math are really the cause of all problems, the second two concerns are very reasonable concerns, but this in no way addresses that. 50,000 jobs coming to NYC includes all the peripheral jobs, not just the 25,000 they hire. This has been proven. These people buy houses, that gives jobs to real estate agents and construction workers. They buy groceries, have day care, get their hair done, etc. What do you do with your paycheck, if 90% of it goes to expenses and those expenses are paid to people in your neighborhood, these 25,000 good paying jobs support another 25,000 service jobs.
As for the other 2 concerns: Do you think kicking Amazon.com out of NYC will change corporations getting tax breaks? The reason corporations get tax breaks is because cities live on jobs. If you don't have jobs the city dies. Taxing corporations is stupid, even income tax is stupid. The only tax that makes sense is a sales tax. See the thread on a city divided.
Second, it is true that if you rent and do not have an advanced degree your rent might go up and you wouldn't get one of those high paying jobs they wanted. It is also true that the neighborhood they were planning to build in might not be the true beneficiary as the best jobs would probably go to people who live in the suburbs and might be moving to NYC.
So the beneficiaries are those who own property and have higher education, but the neighborhood they want to build in is filled with people who are neither property owners or highly educated. What then will be the solution? Will Amazon.com instead move to Westchester or Long Island, wealthier neighborhoods? Suppose they do that, what happens to that poor neighborhood they were going to move to? This is how the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.
So what is the solution? For corporations not paying their fair share, eliminate all corporate taxes. If taxes were solely sales tax there is no way Amazon.com gets any tax break at all. Also if the problem is poor education what we need is to fund education for the inner city with programs like the one funded by Amazon.com. And how about the poor, what could they do to change from being poor to becoming an owner? Perhaps start their own business and sell on Amazon.com. I heard of people who literally buy stuff at Walmart and then resell it on Amazon.com. If someone is living in a rural area it is like hiring your personal "buyer" to get what you need and then mail it to you.
Like I said, Ocasio is an idiot and all those singing her song are merely expressing their ignorance.