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Amazon’s HQ2 Spectacle Isn’t Just Shameful—It Should Be Illegal
The Atlantic ^ | November 12, 2018 | Derek Thompson

Posted on 11/13/2018 1:36:03 AM PST by Trump20162020

The rumored announcement has emboldened Amazon’s army of critics. Did the world’s smartest company really need 13 months, and applications from 238 cities, to reach the striking conclusion that it should invest in New York and D.C.? The former is America’s heart of capital, and the latter is America’s literal capital, where chief executive Jeff Bezos already owns a house and a newspaper.

Was this national auction nothing more than a scripted drama to raise the value of the inevitable winning bid? And did the retailer miss an opportunity to revitalize a midwestern city by choosing to enrich the already-rich east coast?

All good questions. But here’s the big one: Why the hell are U.S. cities spending tens of billions of dollars to steal jobs from each other, in the first place?

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; US: District of Columbia; US: New York; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: amazon; arlingtonva; bezos; crystalcity; crystalcityva; hq2; jeffbezos
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1 posted on 11/13/2018 1:36:03 AM PST by Trump20162020
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To: Trump20162020

... to pay government workers.


2 posted on 11/13/2018 1:49:21 AM PST by Mark was here (Fake news = "Hands up ... Dont shoot")
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To: Trump20162020

“Why the hell are U.S. cities spending tens of billions of dollars to steal jobs from each other, in the first place?”

A very good question.


3 posted on 11/13/2018 1:58:11 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: ConservativeMind

tax revenue


4 posted on 11/13/2018 1:59:35 AM PST by zanarchist
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To: Trump20162020

He wanted to turn VA even “bluer”. We have seen this before. Anyone remember “Gateway Computers”? We still have a huge white elephant of commercial real estate left over from that.


5 posted on 11/13/2018 2:26:11 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Trump20162020

...did the retailer miss an opportunity to revitalize a mid-western city by choosing to enrich the already-rich east coast?”

The “retailer” - Amazon - is just doing what some business types do, cut the best deal at any cost. Shame on local government for allowing this. Let them live and commute in the heart of “Amazonia”.
Locating Amazon in the Arlington County area of Northern Virginia simply creates another “blivet” in an already overpopulated area. And politely put, a blivet is 10-pounds of dirt in a 5-pound bag.
If Oak Ridge, Tennessee could be built from scratch and be up ‘n running in 18-months to two years, I’m confident an “Amazonia” could be completed in near time anywhere in the US.


6 posted on 11/13/2018 2:41:01 AM PST by Huaynero
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To: zanarchist

It doesn’t work.


7 posted on 11/13/2018 2:41:36 AM PST by mewzilla (Is Central America emptying its prisons?)
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To: mewzilla

Tell that to the cities who are offering huge tax incentives to get it.


8 posted on 11/13/2018 2:42:21 AM PST by zanarchist
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To: zanarchist

Those huge bribes...er, tax incentives, come out of taxpayers’ hides. If this kind of crony capitalism worked, Upstate NY would be thriving. Instead it’s a ghost town and taxpayers are screwed.


9 posted on 11/13/2018 2:45:17 AM PST by mewzilla (Is Central America emptying its prisons?)
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To: zanarchist

BTW, last I knew Albany was REFUSING to tell taxpayers how much money was being offered to Amazon. Taxpayers are still in the dark.


10 posted on 11/13/2018 2:47:23 AM PST by mewzilla (Is Central America emptying its prisons?)
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To: Trump20162020

Whenever someone says, “There should be a law”, they should be flogged. I am pretty sure we’ve covered most of the laws by now.


11 posted on 11/13/2018 2:51:22 AM PST by Vermont Lt
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To: Huaynero

“...did the retailer miss an opportunity to revitalize a mid-western city by choosing to enrich the already-rich east coast?”

High likeliness that if they did, they’d be filling it with H1-b/PERM candidates, unfortunately.

“If Oak Ridge, Tennessee could be built from scratch and be up ‘n running in 18-months to two years, I’m confident an ‘Amazonia’ could be completed in near time anywhere in the US.”

The trouble is how do you justify building in the relative middle of nowhere, or low-medium population cities (100-200k)? Doubly so in regions with employers leaving.


12 posted on 11/13/2018 2:52:17 AM PST by setha (Reductio Ad Vexationes (Harassment Fallacy) - a staple of the left.)
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To: Huaynero

Blivet was one my Dad’s saying. I love that term.


13 posted on 11/13/2018 2:52:46 AM PST by Vermont Lt
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To: wastoute

Is Virginia irredeemable enough that the conservative portion would do better as a part of West Virginia?


14 posted on 11/13/2018 2:54:09 AM PST by setha (Reductio Ad Vexationes (Harassment Fallacy) - a staple of the left.)
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To: Vermont Lt
Whenever someone says, “There should be a law”, they should be flogged.

I like your attitude!

15 posted on 11/13/2018 3:05:23 AM PST by cynwoody
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To: setha

It’s a consideration. I was up there on Snowy Mountain Road a couple weeks ago. It is pretty.


16 posted on 11/13/2018 3:07:59 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Trump20162020

Selling Amazon web services to the Pentagon and Wall St. They will gradually assert control over the data by “helping” to curate.


17 posted on 11/13/2018 3:15:11 AM PST by palmer (...if we do not have strong families and strong values, then we will be weak and we will not survive)
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To: palmer

Right. Amazon is not moving to DC/VA to sell tp to the government. They plan to do everything the Beltway bandits are doing.


18 posted on 11/13/2018 3:21:59 AM PST by Oldexpat (Jobs Not Mobs)
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To: setha
Is Virginia irredeemable enough that the conservative portion would do better as a part of West Virginia?

I have heard people from western Virginia say they would be better off becoming part of WV... "The real Virginia is west of Roanoke now."

19 posted on 11/13/2018 3:23:03 AM PST by niteowl77 ("I am equally hostile to unbridled power whether exercised by the head or tail of society.")
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To: mewzilla

Newark NJ still wants a piece - even a small piece - because they are entitled.

Nobody wants to live in Newark NJ; pretending they were in the running was just a cruel joke. They are a transit hub surrounded by a welfare reservation/refugee camp, and the airport and trains are constantly in the news because of problems, delays, etc..


20 posted on 11/13/2018 3:47:25 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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