The Seattle Times is kvetching* that our area may lose the corporate headquarters of T-mobile.
The extremely creative T-Mobile, after its failed take over by AT&T came back fighting with new consumer friendly plans. These have meant that the Seattle based company is growing. Meanwhile Sprint, taken over by the Japanese company Softbank, is struggling. So … now Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son is making no secret of his desire to buy T-Mobile.
The Times rightly fears T-mobile joining Seafirst, Boeing, Washington Mutual, Safeco, Immunex, Airborne Express, QFC, Todd Shipyards, Fisher Broadcasting in selling out to firms managed elsewhere. Hell, if they had a bot more knowledge of our history they might have added UPS. The Times might also note that WAMU did not just leave, it imploded and that Immunex did not leave, it was bought out by AMGEN just as Rosetta was bought out ny Merck and ICOS by Lilly.
A better question for the Times might be why this area can not grow the plants that take root from our own soil?
In its usual lack luster way, the Times goes on to suggest that we need to protect what is still here by supporting education and transportation. True enough … BUT how? Washington State is afflicted by the no taxes disease. Roads, trains, pre K .. all of these cost $$$$. Worse, they can not be supported by our already far to high regressive taxes … taxes on food, clothing, and housing … the sales tax.
Why do other areas on the country that are equally innovative … California, North Carolina and Massachusetts do such a better job of growing businesses in their own soil? One obvious answer is taxes, not low taxes but taxes used to invest in great universities. State support for the UW is horrid and will not change as long as our politicians think poor folks can pay for the Udub out of a salestax.
The UW is not alone. Old Seattle money … the lumber industry and Boeing … left there traces in Seattle Center, SAM, and the public market. The “new” money? Who built the stadia for them? … tax money.
So, am I arguing for an income tax? Hell yes. But there is more to my argument. If you visit the schools in these other areas you will see building after building built in the name of local wealthy donors. That is a rare thing in Seattle. With the exception of Bill Gates and Paul Allen, few of our other uber wealthy seem inclined ot put money back into the local, pubic scene. Jeff Bezos and Steve Blamer are notoriously listed amongst the least charitable of American billionaires. I wonder if that form of Scroogism is related to the fact that WASTATE itself does not ask these guys ot contribute to our taxes?
*complaining in a demonstrative way … as in “his mother kvetched that Schmuel’s sloppy clothing would not get him a job!