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Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

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Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#111

Post by ilove_banh_mi »

ilikehurdles wrote: post #77
adventured wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd place that bet on Northern Virginia as guaranteed and Chicago, Atlanta or Dallas as the other most plausible, with Toronto being a slight possibility since they're going with two. Colorado is nice, but it's nothing compared to the Texas population and economic boom. 28m people in Texas, versus 5m in Colorado. Texas is also building high-speed rail, which will end up linking all of their major cities, an immense b…

I agree with some of your other points... however > Texas is also building high-speed rail, which will end up linking all of their major cities, an immense bonus. Denver already has light rail connecting the airport, Boulder, and Golden as well as other metro areas, as well as amtrak, shuttles, and other public transport to the mountain regions for skiing and other recreation. It's also among the most bike-friendly c…

There is NO light rail link from Denver to Boulder, only buses. The money raised from Boulder residents via sales tax increases was spent on other lines.

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#112

Post by [deleted] »

hcg wrote: post #103
randyrand wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish all cities competed for residents in this way. I think it would drastically improve our government if there was an actually significant risk of people leaving when the government messed up.

If I'm in government and I mess up then I would love if the people who are angry just packed up and left. I'd be more upset if they stayed angry and showed up on election day.

[deleted]

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#113

Post by jimjansen »

ilikehurdles wrote: post #77
adventured wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd place that bet on Northern Virginia as guaranteed and Chicago, Atlanta or Dallas as the other most plausible, with Toronto being a slight possibility since they're going with two. Colorado is nice, but it's nothing compared to the Texas population and economic boom. 28m people in Texas, versus 5m in Colorado. Texas is also building high-speed rail, which will end up linking all of their major cities, an immense b…

I agree with some of your other points... however > Texas is also building high-speed rail, which will end up linking all of their major cities, an immense bonus. Denver already has light rail connecting the airport, Boulder, and Golden as well as other metro areas, as well as amtrak, shuttles, and other public transport to the mountain regions for skiing and other recreation. It's also among the most bike-friendly c…

>Among Texas cities, Dallas also doesn't have the tech talent pool and established network of transplanted tech companies that Austin already has, let alone the politics that many west coast tech workers (and Bezos) find attractive (although that point is kind of moot, because either way it's still Texas).

Austin's tech worker population is peanuts compared to the East or West coast so I don't think it gives them much of an advantage over Dallas.

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#114

Post by kodablah »

chrisco255 wrote: post #55
thebradbain wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The writing is on the wall — Texas will turn blue sooner than later. Dallas is a liberal stronghold in Texas, and in absolute numbers turns out more for Democrats than any other city in the state, including Austin (percentage-wise Austin wins by +5%, I believe). Unlike Austin, which is gerrymandered in the state legislature, every single state/county/city official in Dallas is a Democrat. Dallas is also a gay rights…

Ft. Worth, right next door, is not though. I don't see this happening, by the way. Abbott is up by 15-20 points in the polls this year. And Texas is just different, culturally, than these other states. You can have your LGBTQ anti-discrimination and TX still remain red, BTW. They're not mutually exclusive.

> Abbott is up by 15-20 points in the polls this year

Careful making suppositions about politics based on a winner's party. Often it matters about the opponent strengths (or lack of). This is the same party-assumption failure people make about national elections.

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#115

Post by [deleted] »

hcg wrote: post #103
randyrand wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish all cities competed for residents in this way. I think it would drastically improve our government if there was an actually significant risk of people leaving when the government messed up.

If I'm in government and I mess up then I would love if the people who are angry just packed up and left. I'd be more upset if they stayed angry and showed up on election day.

[deleted]

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#116

Post by hcg »

yourbandsucks wrote: post #75
throwaway427 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Public transit, continued investment, world class museums, and honestly a pretty hip city with a lot of activity in the center, not unlike Seattle. Also lots of millennials moving there for its low cost of living and ample jobs. Minus museums, this could be said of plenty of other cities that are in places with less wacky politics. Museums don't mean a thing. Low cost of living as a requirement means a relative low…

What an unnuanced and dare I say prejudiced comment. Whatever happened to liberals? We used to be the open-minded ones. Even if you're just coming at it from a place of power politics.. you think MORE packing of liberals into fewer and fewer areas is going to swing it for us? If tech companies were serious about liberal politics, they'd be opening big offices in TX and OH. Could solidify the blue wall for a generatio…

Tech companies are serious about liberal politics.

Part of that is ensuring they keep things as center to slightly right as possible and toss some money at social causes to keep their rep.

If the democrats actually won consistently they might start to shift left. These companies do not want a strengthened left wing in the US.

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#117

Post by cronix »

hcg wrote: post #100
cronix wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't just about all big corporations with some "weight" behind them do this though? A company employing tens of thousands floats the idea that they might leave the city/state due to some new proposed corporate tax legislation or something, and then the city/state exempts them from the increases to get them to stay since they're such a "big employer?" Isn't this just "negotiating from a position of strength?" This ha…

Yeah, but just because this happens doesn't mean we shouldn't be upset about it. This is companies strongarming governments into giving them tax breaks. It's robbing society to enrich a few people at the top. Amazon is following the Boeing example. I fully expect Washington state to give away massive amounts of money the same way they did before.

I fully agree. Giving breaks in terms of property taxes directly affects our schools. So we're just shooting the upcoming generation in the foot to keep jobs here "today"

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#118

Post by kodablah »

psychometry wrote: post #31
throwaway427 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Public transit, continued investment, world class museums, and honestly a pretty hip city with a lot of activity in the center, not unlike Seattle. Also lots of millennials moving there for its low cost of living and ample jobs. Minus museums, this could be said of plenty of other cities that are in places with less wacky politics. Museums don't mean a thing. Low cost of living as a requirement means a relative low…

It might be good for a red state to get an HQ, though, since educated people will for once migrate there instead of away from there.

> migrate there instead of away from there

Citation, or are you guessing? Which state has the most people migrating to it? To determine whether they are educated, the reason for the migration can help.

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#119

Post by southphillyman »

johan_larson wrote: post #85
randyrand wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish all cities competed for residents in this way. I think it would drastically improve our government if there was an actually significant risk of people leaving when the government messed up.

It has happened. Remember White Flight?

Are you referring to the GI Bills that allowed flight to new suburban developments or something else?

Re: Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Evenly Between Two Cities

#120

Post by kodablah »

throwaway427 wrote: post #110
thebradbain wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The writing is on the wall — Texas will turn blue sooner than later. Dallas is a liberal stronghold in Texas, and in absolute numbers turns out more for Democrats than any other city in the state, including Austin (percentage-wise Austin wins by +5%, I believe). Unlike Austin, which is gerrymandered in the state legislature, every single state/county/city official in Dallas is a Democrat. Dallas is also a gay rights…

> The writing is on the wall — Texas will turn blue sooner than later. At this point the Democrats can't win for losing. If you field broadly likeable A teamers like Beto and Davis and still lose to comical villains like Cruz and Abbott, it's laughable to think the tide is really turning in our lifetime. Something big has to change, and I'm not sure what it is.

It's policies, not people. You can see many Democrats winning in many areas as well as Republicans in Texas. Many in Texas are issue-oriented. That many don't understand why likable loses to villain-like I think is a larger problem than the actual choice.
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