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AOC, Gianaris And Other NY Politicians Should Apologize To American Workers For Amazon Pullout
Aakash KumarContributor
Careers
New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, center, speaks during a conference in Gordon Triangle Park in the Queens borough of New York, following Amazon’s announcement it would abandon its proposed headquarters for the area, Thursday Feb. 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)ASSOCIATED PRESS
In a decision with massive consequences to the labor market, Amazon announced yesterday that it is pulling out of it’s plans to build HQ2 in New York as a result of unwillingness to cooperate from key politicians in the state. Criticism, from the likes of Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and State Senator Michael Gianaris, has centered around the $3B in tax deferments and subsidies that Amazon would receive over a decade, dependent on the creation of thousands of new high-paying jobs in New York City.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in a classic example of what hip-hop artist Drake would refer to as trigger fingers [turning to] Twitter fingers, took to her favorite medium after the news broke proclaiming victory for the local workers in “defeating the power of the richest man in the world.” She followed this up by noting the $3B was subsidizing those 25,000 jobs and would now be available to fund more worthy activities. The issue with this take is that the incentives were based on future expected payouts that now don’t exist- there is no secret $3B money pile that can be reallocated. It’s a lazy take that spreads misinformation, displays a stunning lack of economic knowledge, and takes a highly complicated and nuanced issue and boils it down to a black and white soundbite shouted from atop a proverbial high horse.
The freshman congresswoman, however, is hardly the only one at fault. In reality, she was scarcely involved in the deal. The fallout is far more tied to local politicians such as Michael Gianaris and activist groups who were unyielding in their public criticism and adopted an uncompromising stance on necessary approvals and future work even after the announcement.
However, the misunderstanding of the deal structure, especially given the reach of Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s platform, is problematic because it underpins a larger problem that is becoming pervasive in American politics: the rise of the pandering populist.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle are jumping on populist narratives. The rising one on the Left has become the villainization of Amazon, Bezos, and the billionaire corporate class as a whole. The largest issue with this movement, especially in how it’s played out in NYC, is that this populism isn’t actually representative of the majority. In a classic case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease, populist politicians are embracing simplified narratives to score political points with short-term decision making replacing the long-term will of the people. Amazon cites a 70% favorability amongst New Yorkers that want Amazon to enter the city in their statement announcing the pullout. A third-party poll by Siena College Research Institute further confirms the will of the majority citing 56% as in-favor of the corporation entering the city. Catering to the loudest voice, in lieu of supporting the democratic will, has profound consequences if not addressed.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/aakash...e-to-american-workers-for-amazon-pullout/amp/
The harsh reality for Mr. Robinson and other New Yorkers is that there is no back up plan. The rise of the pandering populist politicians, who seem to service a narrative more than the workforce, is a failure in governance and representative democracy. As the labor markets change dramatically, compromise, nuance, and the ability to work with corporate counterparts will be key to creating the best workforce outcomes.
Aakash KumarContributor
Careers
New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, center, speaks during a conference in Gordon Triangle Park in the Queens borough of New York, following Amazon’s announcement it would abandon its proposed headquarters for the area, Thursday Feb. 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)ASSOCIATED PRESS
In a decision with massive consequences to the labor market, Amazon announced yesterday that it is pulling out of it’s plans to build HQ2 in New York as a result of unwillingness to cooperate from key politicians in the state. Criticism, from the likes of Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and State Senator Michael Gianaris, has centered around the $3B in tax deferments and subsidies that Amazon would receive over a decade, dependent on the creation of thousands of new high-paying jobs in New York City.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in a classic example of what hip-hop artist Drake would refer to as trigger fingers [turning to] Twitter fingers, took to her favorite medium after the news broke proclaiming victory for the local workers in “defeating the power of the richest man in the world.” She followed this up by noting the $3B was subsidizing those 25,000 jobs and would now be available to fund more worthy activities. The issue with this take is that the incentives were based on future expected payouts that now don’t exist- there is no secret $3B money pile that can be reallocated. It’s a lazy take that spreads misinformation, displays a stunning lack of economic knowledge, and takes a highly complicated and nuanced issue and boils it down to a black and white soundbite shouted from atop a proverbial high horse.
The freshman congresswoman, however, is hardly the only one at fault. In reality, she was scarcely involved in the deal. The fallout is far more tied to local politicians such as Michael Gianaris and activist groups who were unyielding in their public criticism and adopted an uncompromising stance on necessary approvals and future work even after the announcement.
However, the misunderstanding of the deal structure, especially given the reach of Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s platform, is problematic because it underpins a larger problem that is becoming pervasive in American politics: the rise of the pandering populist.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle are jumping on populist narratives. The rising one on the Left has become the villainization of Amazon, Bezos, and the billionaire corporate class as a whole. The largest issue with this movement, especially in how it’s played out in NYC, is that this populism isn’t actually representative of the majority. In a classic case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease, populist politicians are embracing simplified narratives to score political points with short-term decision making replacing the long-term will of the people. Amazon cites a 70% favorability amongst New Yorkers that want Amazon to enter the city in their statement announcing the pullout. A third-party poll by Siena College Research Institute further confirms the will of the majority citing 56% as in-favor of the corporation entering the city. Catering to the loudest voice, in lieu of supporting the democratic will, has profound consequences if not addressed.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/aakash...e-to-american-workers-for-amazon-pullout/amp/
The harsh reality for Mr. Robinson and other New Yorkers is that there is no back up plan. The rise of the pandering populist politicians, who seem to service a narrative more than the workforce, is a failure in governance and representative democracy. As the labor markets change dramatically, compromise, nuance, and the ability to work with corporate counterparts will be key to creating the best workforce outcomes.
Get real, Amazon could give a **** where you live because they know people are more than happy to relocate to work for them. Chances are, majority of the people Amazon will be hiring will be transplants. There's a difference between economic growth and the Amazon ripple, which is what happened to Seattle.
they were gonna pay 27 billion in state and local taxes..da 3 billion was discount that doesn't exist if Amazon doesn't move here.
