“Despite the progressive credentials of most of this city council, this city council is carrying out the Trump agenda,” A pro-tax citizen proclaimed at Seattle’s city council meeting last week.
As Seattle's city council voted to repeal its ‘head-tax’ - a $275 dollar per employee tax on large businesses last week – many turned out to blame Trump, capitalism, and even Democrats for the situation.
Watching video of the public testimony is a little bizarre. You see some clips for yourself above.
“Join the fight not only to tax Amazon but to fight for a better world in a democratic socialist movement,” A citizen testified.
Another speaker echoed similar sentiments, “Somehow expecting the market to provide the solutions we need. That is beyond ridiculous that is beyond anything that I have seen.”
City council members got into the act as well.
Alderman Teresa Mosqueda said, “The people who have won by running this campaign are the large firms like the Morning in America firm that worked with the Trump campaign that was against gay rights, against taxes, that was pro-charter. Those are the folks who won.”
Alderman Kshama Sawant, a member of 'Socialist Alternative' spread the blame around to Democrats as well, telling the crowd, “The Democratic Party establishment which controls this city has presided over this crisis over decades, this is not a crisis that happened in a day or a month or a year. This has been decades in the making.”
“We know not only from our knowledge of economics, we know from common sense, from the status quo – the only solution to address the affordable housing crisis is for the city to build social housing. Which is, publicly owned, permanently affordable housing.”
Of course Sawant claims there is "only" one way to achieve her goals. Taxes.
“The only idea to raise revenues is to go to those who have not paid anything close to their fair share.”