Economy in your area? (Seattle, Bellevue: vehicle registration, attorney, high school)

[evda]

I wouldn't go making judgments about people's income Xanthos, you might be surprised by what some of us make around here..

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by Seacove

Good luck making friends in Seattle.

Xanathos, you're not the only one that pays high taxes in Seattle. You're just the...noisiest.

Not at all. I've never once claimed I'm due any sort of cut or special dispensation because I pay more than most. Noise is not having a conversation on the topic and being done with it. Noise is the constant chatter people like Passive Aggressive make about how it's not enough. Again, you're personifying what I was talking about in the original post.

Originally Posted by evda

I wouldn't go making judgments about people's income Xanthos, you might be surprised by what some of us make around here..

Stating 'very real possibility' != stating 'absolute truth'. Learn the difference. Statistically, I happen to be in the top 1% for the region. So yes, it's a possibility. And not a talking point regardless, just a statement of fact.

[southking500]

"just a statement of fact"
Or just another empty boast from one of the anonymous "internet millionaires" who seem to erroneously believe that people will be impressed by completely unverifiable claims of wealth.
According to IRS the top 1% of US earners make $380,000.00 annually. That figure is significantly higher in the affluent Seattle metro area.
If I was making that kind of money, I wouldn't have the time to make 1000+ posts in less than a year.

[Vinylly]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

If you think the illegals problem is bad here, you've not been to many places, and certainly not Dallas.

Dallas and Seattle don't have much in common. Politically, they're at almost polar opposite ends of the spectrum. Whereas Dallas is like 32% white, 30% black, and 34% Hispanic, up here it's more like 70% white, 20% Asian, and 10% "other". We're a generally affluent area, not many on public assistance compared to Dallas (within greater Seattle itself - go to Tacoma and it's another story). That being said, there is a very large portion of the populace, in spite of not being "poor", that still adopts the philosophy of 'I want every amenity under the sun, but I want somebody else to be taxed for it/to pay for it'. Whereas Dallas is very much a boostraps kind of town, entitlement mentality is huge here. And there is no shortage of people who walk around with their hearts spouting puddles of blood in their hands, determined to fix the world no matter how much of -your- money it takes to do so, and ready to pounce on anyone who dares to offend their ricepaper-thin skin in some way. We also have an obscene amount of government employees that siphon off an enormous amount of our tax revenue, so we're constantly in a massive deficit crunch, meaning our infrastructure is starting to crumble due to so much money being siphoned off to pay out-of-control wages and ridiculous entitlement benefits.

Panhandlers are more of an issue here than in Texas, largely because this area is so friendly to them and naively enabling of their lifestyle choices.

As to the economy, depends on what field you're in. If you're in tech, investment banking, video game design, medicine, or an actuary, you're probably golden. If you're in construction, law, education, real estate, or management, you're probably screwed.

There is a lot of truth in what you say. I volenteer at a church homeless program on First Hill who help feed and shelter the homeless that are camping out under I-5 between Madison and James. I've talked to quite a few of the men. They have told me that Seattle is their number one destination as it's the most generous city that bends over backwards to meet their needs. I'm wondering how many of these Seattle-libs personally contribute with their personal time and donations to feed and shelter the homeless rather then expecting the local government to carry all the burden.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by Vinylly

There is a lot of truth in what you say. I volenteer at a church homeless program on First Hill who help feed and shelter the homeless that are camping out under I-5 between Madison and James. I've talked to quite a few of the men. They have told me that Seattle is their number one destination as it's the most generous city that bends over backwards to meet their needs. I'm wondering how many of these Seattle-libs personally contribute with their personal time and donations to feed and shelter the homeless rather then expecting the local government to carry all the burden.

Plenty. Personally, also through work. But I do not think Seattle is the number one destination. Too wet and cold compared to the Southern climates. And places like Las Vegas have 24 hour casinos. Lots of homeless there. Have you walked through San Francisco? Market Street? Personally interviewing some homeless people that are already in Seattle is hardly statistical data.

[Xanathos]

It's always been my understanding that most homeless angle for one of 3 cities: San Francisco, Honolulu, and Las Vegas. Strictly anecdotal evidence of observing the quantity of homeless in these 3 respective cities tends to bear that out in my mind. Honestly, I see more homeless people in Portland than I do up here in Seattle. All that being said, we have a disproportionate amount here, especially when one considers that our weather is as such to where it should not be considered a top "destination" for the homeless and is actually somewhat difficult to even get to without traditional transport means, yet there are so many here due to societal acceptance of them.

[eskercurve]

ooooooooooooooooookkkaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy ...

What begun as a simple question about how the economy is turned into a food fight ... a strange and completely non-sequitur tangent about taxes ... and an assumption that the OP was conservative and wanted to be around other conservatives.

Only Xanathos answered it (albeit after a similarly tangential rant about how people here are entitlement driven... some truth to that but still, tangential).

Technology based companies are abound here. Amazon.com, Google, Microsoft, Cray, etc. are all based here. Boeing is also here and the suppliers have company offices here.

If you are in a technically demanding field, you will likely find something to do. Or if you are in the medical profession, chances are you'll find something.

If you are in construction, teaching, manufacturing, etc. things are not looking good, unless you are a skilled technician wanting to work for Boeing (they're hiring at the clip of 100 a week and have been doing so for the past three months).

Overall, the economy hasn't been pretty to Seattle as it hasn't been for the entire nation. But a microcosm has also happened ... most technically demanding and knowledge-based industries in engineering, science, and higher-ed teaching and research have done well throughout the nation, as it has been so in Seattle.

[Twincam666]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

ooooooooooooooooookkkaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy ...

What begun as a simple question about how the economy is turned into a food fight ... a strange and completely non-sequitur tangent about taxes ... and an assumption that the OP was conservative and wanted to be around other conservatives.

Only Xanathos answered it (albeit after a similarly tangential rant about how people here are entitlement driven... some truth to that but still, tangential).

Technology based companies are abound here. Amazon.com, Google, Microsoft, Cray, etc. are all based here. Boeing is also here and the suppliers have company offices here.

If you are in a technically demanding field, you will likely find something to do. Or if you are in the medical profession, chances are you'll find something.

If you are in construction, teaching, manufacturing, etc. things are not looking good, unless you are a skilled technician wanting to work for Boeing (they're hiring at the clip of 100 a week and have been doing so for the past three months).

Overall, the economy hasn't been pretty to Seattle as it hasn't been for the entire nation. But a microcosm has also happened ... most technically demanding and knowledge-based industries in engineering, science, and higher-ed teaching and research have done well throughout the nation, as it has been so in Seattle.

Thanks, I was beginning to think people in Seattle could not comprehend the english language??? I asked a simple question...Is everyone there just nasty?

[Hemlock140]

Those that make a lot of money here are doing fine, those that don't are not. Just like any other place. We do have some affluent areas east of Seattle that keep the economy going better than many other areas.
As for the homeless, I think they come here mostly because the City of Seattle is so welcoming to them, and really the weather is mild. The light constant rain is annoying but there are plenty of places to camp under elevated freeways. When they take down the Alaskan Way Viaduct probably hundreds of homeless will have to move.


Here are some statistics, these are all just east of Seattle, except Woodway which is north. This is per capita from 2000 which is the most recent I could find, that's 11 years ago. Also, households with two or more workers will be higher, even double:

1 Mercer Island, Washington $123,939
2 Hunts Point, Washington $113,816[1]
3 Medina, Washington $81,742
4 Clyde Hill, Washington $78,252
5 Yarrow Point, Washington $72,135
6 Bellevue, Washington $56,905
7 Beaux Arts Village, Washington $56,496
8 Snoqualmie Pass, Washington $54,316
9 Woodway, Washington $51,613
10 Ames Lake, Washington $49,863
11 Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Washington $46,538
12 Sammamish, Washington $42,971

[Hemlock140]

Those that make a lot of money here are doing fine, those that don't are not. Just like any other place. We do have some affluent areas east of Seattle that keep the economy going better than many other areas.
As for the homeless, I think they come here mostly because the City of Seattle is so welcoming to them, and really the weather is mild. The light constant rain is annoying but there are plenty of places to camp under elevated freeways. When they take down the Alaskan Way Viaduct probably hundreds of homeless will have to move.


Here are some statistics, these are all just east of Seattle, and this is per capita from 2000 which is the most recent I could find, that's 11 years ago. Also, many if not most of these households have two or more workers:

1 Mercer Island, Washington $123,939
2 Hunts Point, Washington $113,816[1]
3 Medina, Washington $81,742
4 Clyde Hill, Washington $78,252
5 Yarrow Point, Washington $72,135
6 Bellevue, Washington $56,905
7 Beaux Arts Village, Washington $56,496
8 Snoqualmie Pass, Washington $54,316
9 Woodway, Washington $51,613
10 Ames Lake, Washington $49,863
11 Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Washington $46,538
12 Sammamish, Washington $42,971