Amazon Pulls Out Before Cumming.

[RockHardNYC]

I never understood why Amazon was given so many concessions and tax breaks to build in Long Island City. It's easy to argue that NYC did not need this business, and Amazon would have done serious over-priced damage to the LIC community, drastically escalating real estate prices. It's well known that the area's landlords were already behaving like heroin addicts greeting a drug smuggling ship. The greed here can be unlike anything elsewhere.

Amazon's letter is an interesting read. They're delivering a BIG fuck you to the politicians, and I happen to think the politicians deserve it, given their handling of this transaction. I can't imagine that Cuomo and DeBlasio are happy about this breakdown. IMO, this is a business fiasco, but not for Amazon. Amazon will thrive no matter where they settle. Maybe now they'll consider Cleveland, which makes the most sense.

Amazon Pulls Out

Since Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led the very vocal fight against Amazon, it's going to be interesting if she takes a hit for losing this financial behemoth in her community. No matter what you thought of this deal, Amazon in LIC would have been super successful for thousands more people than the few it would have hurt.

[RockHardNYC]

"In an age of rising rents and stagnating wages, after corporations just got a big handout from the Republican tax bill with much less relief for struggling families, as income inequality continues to ensure that the profit of our economic productivity is skimmed off by those at the top, the era of such incentive deals may be coming to an end."

The reaction is quite swift.

New York Finally Called Amazon's Bluff

[caeron]

 

Except the $3B was a rebate on the $27B they would have paid in taxes. So NYers are out $24B in tax revenues, but hey, they showed the man, right?

 

Slate on Amazon abandoning NY HQ

 

 

[nycman]

New York blew it. 

Unfortunately, that’s becoming a frequent refrain.  

27 billion dollars in new tax revenue would have gone a long way. 

I don’t blame Amazon at all....why bother when 200 other cities are begging for your business?

[RA1]

Sorry but NY blew it.

Best regards,

RA1

[TotallyOz]

Who in their right mind pulls out right before?  Insanity IMHO.

Yes, NY blew it IMHO.  Having said that, I am happy for LIC as  I still have a place in Astoria and was not looking forward to this happening for selfish reasons.

[RockHardNYC]

NY Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote an opinion piece in today's Times.

"The city and state were holding up our end. And more important, a sizable majority of New Yorkers were on board. Support for the new headquarters was strongest in communities of color and among working people who too often haven’t gotten the economic opportunity they deserved. A project that could’ve opened a path to the middle class for thousands of families was scuttled by a few very powerful people sitting in a boardroom in Seattle.

In the end, Amazon seemed unwilling to bend or even to talk in earnest with the community about ways to shape their project. They didn’t want to be in a city where they had to engage critics at all."

Bill de Blasio: The Path Amazon Rejected

Sounds to me like Amazon behaved like the ASS that it is. In truth, most of those 25,000 jobs were factory jobs. A factory job salary is not going to provide what it takes to live in New York City. Amazon was not going to attract bright, talented, creative workers. They belong somewhere else.

I am a Prime member, but I'd love to tell Bezos to go fuck himself. I absolutely hate what Amazon has done to the small bookshops across America. I also hate what they've done to mom-and-pop small business. Whenever possible, I buy things from smaller businesses, especially from the artisans. I don't even mind paying more for that item, if it happens to be offered on Amazon.

Corporations definitely have their place in America. Bit greed-driven behemoth's who don't give a shit about their communities deserve the criticism and anger thrown their way. Just think of the profit dollars that have to go to the scorned wife. Way to go, Bezos!

[caeron]

 

Amazon brought a lot of efficiency to book selling. Efficiency is a brutal thing. 

Most of us say we hate the hollowing out of local businesses, but most of us aren't willing to pay a fair bit extra to have them. Most of us don't have the money to not care what things cost. When given the real choice, we choose cheaper and more efficient at consumers.

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. If I know what I want, why am I benefited to get in my car, drive to a store, pick out and pay for an item, and then drive home? Never mind that it is also probably cheaper not even figuring in car, gas and the value of my time.

With a couple of clicks, it will get delivered to my door. It's the Sears and Roebuck catalog for the modern world (I date myself that I know and ordered from that catalog). No doubt that also did a number on mom and pop general stores in the heartland.  

It's legitimate to ask if those Amazon are the type of jobs your community wants. But the frequent fixation on the $3B tax rebate I think really misses the mark.

[RockHardNYC]

8 hours ago, caeron said:

most of us aren't willing to pay a fair bit extra to have them

That's almost like saying most of us don't want to pay extra for food items sold at Farmer's Markets, regardless of the known health benefits.

8 hours ago, caeron said:

Most of us don't have the money to not care what things cost.

There's a difference between "not caring what things cost" and caring about the impact of where and what you spend your money on. Bezos built his empire on people who demand efficiency over everything else, especially if you're a lazy couch potato. And now, he's (supposedly) the richest man in the world. I guess he knew what he was creating.

8 hours ago, caeron said:

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon.

I don't. I purposely search elsewhere first. The last book gift that I received from Amazon (a Christmas gift), I sent back. The hardcover book was sent in a flimsy bag. The bag must have been dropped, because the book's cover edges were damaged. I wasn't interested in keeping a damaged gift.

I don't think Amazon will hurt anytime soon. They are now too big to fail, and many people are spoiled by efficiency. I will continue to avoid them as much as I can, and I will feel damn good about doing so.