Interesting to see if anyone is prosecuted, I will bet the answer is "no". Oregon has similar instances, and the Feds even want 20 million back and the Dems say NO. Greed and corruption is a standard today. None of them "serve the state" unless they think they ARE the state.

The current big stink here in OK is that the Health Services Agency, while wailing about budget shortfall, had in fact kept a secret "slush fund" worth tens of millions of dollars in an account that was out of sight of state auditors. To keep up the fake budget dilemma, the agency laid off 198 county level workers and coerced the legislature into giving them $30M in additional funds. They didn't hire back the laid off workers, left the additional money unspent, and gave their executives fat raises out of the slush fund. While the governor and state legislators are furious, it appears no laws were broken, and the guilty parties are getting nothing more than having to resign. Personally I think there's a case to be made for fraud, with justifiable jail time for those responsible. It ain't just the blue states with corruption.

Indeed, Doc, it is very contagious, but comes with a dose of greed, as case of irresponsibility and a can of "don't give a sh@t".

Perhaps some suburb like Austin.

“If you build it, he will come.”
Nowdays that refers to uncle Sam, and/or his lessor minions.

I now remember the "Build It, and They Will Come" movie, "Field of Dreams". I've read AS three times, so far, in my lifetime. I own the videos of each part. And I own one large film canister full of the film. Our hosts here even offered me the rest of the film but somehow it never came through.

Boeing's HQ is now in Chicago, but they still manufacture aircraft in Washington state. Remember, there was a big stink when Boeing decided to open a new plant in South Carolina, and the union had a fit, fearing that was another step to close up operations in Washington entirely. It wasn't until Boeing guaranteed no jobs would be lost in the Washington plants that the Feds and union backed off (government should have kept its nose out, but then it was the Obama era). I'm sure the state government will figure out a way to run MS out soon, as socialist stupidity seems to be contagious.

Remember, Boeing moved out of there awhile ago, seeing the writing on the wall, MS is in Redmond, so not effected. Portland is losing a big company from downtown because of the vagrancy issue, but Portland is too busy figuring out how to toll a Federal highway to "force people off the roads" to think up the head tax yet, that will be next year probably. BTW, I watch a documentary on the Boeing 747 and they were designing and building it on a shoestring, because everything was in the SST, then it collapsed. Only the successful 1st flight saved it, and even then it was touch and go on the engines for a while.

Also, talking to a guy who has "liberal" in laws in Portland, who live in a condo and have a locked parking garage, and who previously endorsed "helping the poor homeless, who, through no fault of their own, have been ravaged by a greedy society". They now want to know why they have all the vagrants pooping in the doorway, and in the flower pots and breaking into the garage, and why the city (who has yet to be effected, as in pooping in their doorways) won't do something. This reminds me of the City in the Clouds episode of Star Trek, circa 1967. Arrogant liberal elites destroy everything and then blame it on others and want to destroy the world to "fix it".

Three Movies actually Atlas Shrugged Parts 1,2,3. Oh wait, maybe we need to get them reissued.

"Build It, And They Will Come", reminds me of a movie I once saw, but for the life of me I can't remember which one. All I remember was the slogan. It will take Seattle awhile to realize that when they build homes and facilities for the homeless, more homeless will come to occupy same and take advantage of all the good will. What will be Seattle’s solution when more homeless just keep coming and all the freebees are used up? I'm starting to believe that if I were young today I might just decide to take advantage of a bunch of these freebees myself. Why not? Well not really, I’m just too independent, I learned from my parents most of the values I hold true today, but it could be tempting. I've actually seen a few of my high school classmates (1960 grads) still holding down jobs because they weren’t smart enough to save something for today, but most are not homeless, and then again some still have mortgages or pay rent. The further we go with supporting those not smart enough, the more we will get. I just can’t conceive a future of the US where no one works, everyone just lives off the good graces of those that are willing to give. Never mind, it’s just too mind boggling, there wouldn’t be anyone able to give, people would just exist and have to beg or steal from each other the stuff they need to survive. Here’s an opportunity for Hollywood, a blockbusting movie detailing the destruction of a country that used to be rich and free.

I left S. Kalifornia in 1977 when Moonbeam was elected the first time. Then I had to leave the Seattle area in 2016 as I felt intimidated for saving a bunch of money for my retirement that I am unwilling to share. I managed to move a little further than you, almost exactly 300 miles east of there. I plan to die where I'm at, but not right now, there's too many fish left to kill.

Not far enough, anything unincorporated means Seattle can just expand its borders. The safe bet would be a more conservative opinion city limit.

It is always straight up laziness. They have no skills, thus low income. We make everything possible for everyone here, if you are poor, college is basically free (but you have to go). Don't like school - armed forces is a great option (I did both and now back in graduate school after 25 years). We also have trade schools, and other options, but sitting at home on the Xbox getting fat and whining about how shitty life in the US is, is no one's fault but their own - and yet we still throw them the welfare lifeline and politicians brag about how compassionate they are (with money earned by the people that have not been lazy all their lives).

Mental illness is a big problem, I'll gladly pay taxes if we are politically willing to start working on that. For lazy 300 lb'ers working at McDonald's as a career? No thank you. Figure it out like everyone else does. Stop wasting that free education by acting like an Ass or a thug in class everyday.

OH, HOW I HOPE YOU'RE WRONG.
The odds are you are likely right. This is one of the disadvantages of living long. Everything both good and bad eventually comes to pass. But why does the bad always seem stronger than the good?

I'm old enough to remember when, after Boeing lost the supersonic transport contract, there was a billboard saying "Will the last person out of Seattle please turn out the lights." Microsoft saved their bacon by giving them more than a one-industry economy. Odd that we haven't heard what that company's view is of the head tax. It almost seems the Seattle city government is trying to recreate the Boeing debacle.

Yup...

And cannot be stopped, which is why they are banding together to pass their alliance for the Electoral College vote, if they go as a block and agree that all their votes go to the popular vote winner, they plan to short circuit the system, get back in power and make sure they stay in power at all costs. The Beast was an anomaly, she lost the vote for them and their greedy manipulation leaking out all over, but they will not make that mistake again. The Republicrats are going to let them get back in, since they don't have any major differences with them, just who is getting the squeeze. The Revolution will start shortly thereafter.

Yup...

Not long, they are really close...

Doc, short answer: NO. They don't care, they carefully calculate the lies needed, tell them and then blame someone else. It works well in Oregon, over and over and over......

I'd love to see that fly.....not...

It is a shining example of the Liberal paradise that awaits all of the workers in that wonderful peoples republic. No socialist government has ever produced a lasting improvement for their people and the peasants refuse to learn.

A friend of mine suggested they may move to east of 405, out of the citys grip.

Yep, indeed....