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New Yorkers Protest Amazon HQ2: 'We Should Be Investing in Housing ... Not in Helicopters' (geekwire.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Shawn Dixon's life changed overnight. On Tuesday he was surprised to learn that Amazon plans to build a giant campus with room for thousands of high-paid workers on the same block as the small business he owns, Otis & Finn Barbershop. "We woke up yesterday with our whole world upside down," Dixon said. The announcement that one half of Amazon HQ2 is moving into his neighborhood -- Long Island City in Queens, New York -- motivated Dixon to attend a protest of Amazon's future campus Wednesday. He was
joined by elected officials, labor leaders, and activists who gathered to speak out against the tax incentives, government subsidies and other perks -- including a helipad -- that New York is offering Amazon in exchange for the thousands of jobs the company promises to bring.
"We're worried about our ability to stay in the neighborhood," Dixon said. "I'm not against growth and I'm not against Amazon but what I'm against is giving away all this money to one of the richest companies in the world when our schools are underfunded, we don't have schools in this neighborhood, the trains don't run here, and small business owners have no protections." The rally was organized by New York State Sen. Michael Gianaris, who represents the Queens neighborhood Amazon is moving into. "By the way, Amazon was coming here without all this money anyway," Gianaris said when he took the podium.
"We're worried about our ability to stay in the neighborhood," Dixon said. "I'm not against growth and I'm not against Amazon but what I'm against is giving away all this money to one of the richest companies in the world when our schools are underfunded, we don't have schools in this neighborhood, the trains don't run here, and small business owners have no protections." The rally was organized by New York State Sen. Michael Gianaris, who represents the Queens neighborhood Amazon is moving into. "By the way, Amazon was coming here without all this money anyway," Gianaris said when he took the podium.
but what I'm against is giving away all this money to one of the richest companies in the world
Not to argue for or against Amazon in NYC, this argument itself is somewhat weak. Tax incentives aren't "giving" a company money, they're just not taking it. And, if that incentive brings the business, then even without any direct taxation, it means more money for the city: higher paid workers pay higher taxes and spend more money.
It's fine to say "we don't want to entice that company to setting up shop" or even "they would come without the incentives, so we shouldn't offer the incentive," but not "we shouldn't be giving away money."
A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
Living under rightist cronies in Utah, they are no better and not really any worse either. The false dichotomy of D/R, red/blue is the problem. Neither group really wants to limit government, they differ in what areas they prefer more government, but the net result is always more and always helps out those with the most gold.
NYC and Albany keeps electing Blue
For 19 years, from 1994 to 2013, NYC had a Republican mayor.
Yea but Michael Bloomberg was a RINO. He was a democrat before switching to republican 2001 for his run for mayor. Then in 2007 he switched to independent, then this year back to democrat.
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.