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March 8, 2014 at 3:41 am #610676
singularnameParticipantSort of a rant, but making lemonade out of lemons, and spurred to share by the thread Colonization of West Seattle (relating to it on a *much* smaller degree), I committed to a decision about 6 months ago.
Laid off my job last April, which indeed was a blessing. Began my own business(es) on a few fronts: some retail (talking Fremont Market and Ebay/Etsy), some contract (writer/editor by trade). Tallying up state and city sales tax, B&O tax, yearly WA biz license, yearly Seattle biz license (and it is rather galling to go to that site and read somewhere in the first paragraph “… for the privilege of doing business in Seattle …”), a 5% penalty I received because this first year I didn’t realize B&O was due 31 January, fed, customs, and SSI taxes (which yes, I would pay regardless of where I live), draconian rules if I want to turn my detached garage into an office, and a few other etceteras, my obligations to the city and state are closing in on the 40% mark of my gross. So … obviously my business model doesn’t work, at least in Seattle.
Act II: A neighbor I’ve never met for the 14 years I’ve lived here decided to rip out 20ish feet of his blackberry border right up to our property line (which we don’t agree on, as I hold my survey in the wind and point out the sky is blue and he says it’s red). He complains about once a month to the DCLU about something–two of his twelve complaints were valid. I fixed them immediately. My DCLU contact asks, “Why does he hate you?” I’m clueless–I have no barking dogs, nor any dog for that matter; have had maybe 3 parties of no more than 10 people, over by 11 PM, in the past 14 years; don’t burn trash in the yard; don’t have crap all over the yard except maybe once a year for 3ish weeks during an intensive garden/yard cleaning; etc. When I tried to talk to him about it, in a position so demur and unthreatening that it made me sick to my stomach, he says I’m “great!” So …
Act III: I’ve formed an LLC and am now self-directing my IRA. I’m working on building another house on my 5,000-foot lot–part of Seattle’s Micro-dwelling “program.” I’ll be renting out that new house as part of the IRA and my main house as good ol’ income. Looking at properties in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, … (checked out the Canary Islands last night just for kicks). … I might as well be hated by everyone now, not here to deal with it, and profit off of it than to keep dealing with this harassment.
It’s not the developers driving me out–and gawd knows I hate what is going up in my neighborhood, but hey those lots were on the open market for at least 5 years. It’s this “privilege to live in Seattle BS” and petty neighbor harassment that got me to thinking and finally act. My house isn’t home anymore, so I’m turning it into an “investment.” And doing the math on my service business, I’ll still have the same $50 to $100 an hour jobs and a 50% reduction in cost of living.
I am an honest, nonconfrontational, live-and-let-live,* helpful to my own detriment, consider-all-sides, volunteering, high-bracket tax-paying (once with a corporate job and now as a street market vendor!), usually unnecessarily deferring citizen (I guess my downsides are sarcasm and not a bandwagon passenger), and I just can’t take it anymore.
*Bit of irony on this one: The neighbor who hates me has two newer accessory buildings over 120 sq ft and a small-version ship container that he stores old wood in, best I can tell, but I’ve intentionally taken the high road to not report it since it doesn’t bother me other than the container is pretty damn ugly.
March 8, 2014 at 4:14 am #805425
wakefloodParticipantSingular, I apologize for the dickish behavior of your “neighbor”. You’d be welcome in our neighborhood anytime.
But I get it. Seattle’s not putting it’s best foot forward for you and that sucks. May you find a new place that shares your vision and reflects back the good that you pay forward.
Thanks for sharing your story. It’s important to hear this kind of stuff. That’s how we as residents learn the impacts of our actions in others and hopefully take them to heart.
March 8, 2014 at 6:09 am #805426
hammerheadParticipantMarch 8, 2014 at 7:01 am #805427
JoBParticipantI hope you find greener grass on the other side of the fence
March 8, 2014 at 5:06 pm #805428
JoBParticipanton reflection i can see where last night’s i am too tired to face the keyboard post could come off as snarky. i don’t mean it that way.
i really do hope you find a good place to make your current dreams come true.
March 8, 2014 at 6:10 pm #805429
DuskyvioletParticipantSingular
I wish you luck & much peace in your future ventures wherever they should take you.
March 12, 2014 at 12:58 am #805430
Talaki34ParticipantI am sorry to hear that you are leaving. Having lived many places including outside the United States, what you are experiencing here is really everywhere. Newness may make things look better initially, but given time and familiarity the blemishes that plague every city or town will begin to show. Neighbors are the same all over and while there may be financial gains in making a move, there also might be some not so nice tradeoffs.
Not sure if this is feasible for you, but have you thought of taking a semi-working vacation to a couple of the areas you are looking at and maybe connecting with others that are moving in a like direction?
Best to you!
March 12, 2014 at 3:45 am #805431
dhgParticipantBitching about property taxes, I’d understand, but business taxes? I call BS. Our tax rate is low. I’ve been paying them for 15 years, and I’ve been audited and it’s all great. There are places with lower taxes, inhabited by people who can’t afford squat.
March 12, 2014 at 4:34 am #805432
guidosmomMemberI am so sorry about your neighbor. I have to add, I used to live on a small island in the Canary Islands and it truly is a wonderful place to live. :) Any time I am stressed out I dream about moving back. The only bad part is they have ginormous rats.
March 12, 2014 at 6:58 am #805433
JanSParticipantGuidosmom…I suppose you could train them to do work around the yard, to run errands, do chores in the house ;-)
March 12, 2014 at 12:44 pm #805434
CandrewB1ParticipantYou are going about it all wrong. With Seattle you have to play their game. First, your business should be a “non-profit”. It is OK, just pay yourself as much of a salary as you can, and without most of the local tax burden. Your non-profit will both do what it would regularly do and (this is important) teach a craft or skill to an at-risk this or disadvantaged that. Then you can start soliciting funds from the city and county to expand the program and afford to pay yourself an even bigger salary.
March 12, 2014 at 3:05 pm #805435
wakefloodParticipantHa! Candrew, you crack me up. You forgot to add some background to your cynical rant.
That being that all non-profits do the same compensation reviews that for-profits do. What do you think they see for compensation for Sr. Mgmnt in those for-profits?
Let me describe it. Insanity. They do good work, they get crazy compensation. They suck, they get crazy compensation. They super suck, they get enormous golden parachutes and move to the next gig. You know who sits in the BoDs of the big non-profits, right? The same gang that sits in the for-profits.
If you think those things are disconnected, you aren’t paying attention.
March 12, 2014 at 4:27 pm #805436
elikapekaParticipantJust do a lot of research before you go. Denver had a “head tax” years ago when I worked there. All of the taxes and license fees you mentioned will exist elsewhere, some higher and some lower, with the exception of the B&O tax. Don’t forget that you’ll pay income tax on both your personal and business earnings in NM and AZ. No income tax in TX, but in quality of life issues like poverty, literacy, health care, education and more, their ranking is horrible. I wish you the best wherever you decide.
March 12, 2014 at 6:40 pm #805437
gothfruMemberMuch like WA, not all parts of TX are the same. Not sure about business taxes, but check out the Austin area. It sounds like it would be right up your alley.
March 12, 2014 at 8:44 pm #805438
miwsParticipantBut do the alleys in Austin ever go on vacation? ;-)
Sorry for that, folks.
I’m really truly sorry. ;-)
Mike
March 12, 2014 at 9:18 pm #805439
singularnameParticipantI’m also finding the state health exchanges to be a factor. Can’t say for sure yet how they compare to Washington State, but with our exchange I’d pay $800/month for a $2500 deductible that includes none of my docs and est. income of 50K. Not very doable either. Like the suggestions and points to consider. Thanks.
miws … Your joke is over my head.
job … Didn’t take that as snark–in fact, I though that was a great pun.
BS-calling dude … no clue what your calling BS on … I’m owning the problem and taking action, not wallowing in a ball holding a surrender flag.
March 12, 2014 at 11:16 pm #805440
miwsParticipantsingular, I was referring to the proposed “Whole Foods”/Whittaker Project that is planned for the old Huling Chev property on Fauntleroy.
There’s been a lot of (often heated) discussion regarding an “Alley Vacation” that the developers are requesting. :-)
Mike
March 13, 2014 at 1:52 am #805441
SmittyParticipantRe: Texas
Illiteracy rate by county:
http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/docs/09illitmap.html
2012 Presidential by county (blue = Dem):
Stupid Texans!
March 14, 2014 at 4:56 am #805442
elikapekaParticipantInteresting how people interpret things differently. Smitty apparently sees a connection between literacy rates in Texas and voting patterns, thereby making Democrats the ‘stupid Texans.’
I see that the lowest literacy rates in Texas are in the areas that border Mexico, and therefore likely have a higher percentage of the population that speaks Spanish and doesn’t speak English. Being illiterate doesn’t mean a person is stupid, they just can’t read. In this case, they can’t read English.
I guess we’d have to do some more research to see what the correlations really are.
March 14, 2014 at 1:51 pm #805443
SmittyParticipante, it is just one of my pet peeves is all.
State demographics (specifically red/blue state comparisons for political discussions) are really deceiving unless you drill down to the county level.
“Texans are stupid” (I realize you didn’t say this) is a common theme from the Left and their friends in the media, yet if they really took the time to dig into the numbers they might find that their own constituents are what is pulling down the state numbers (education level, income level, poverty, obesity, etc.). This would apply to the entire South.
March 14, 2014 at 3:57 pm #805444
JoBParticipantSmitty..
do you mean poor people and immigrants?
could there be a correlation between the state government’s decision not to fund healthcare or education or social services for the poor in Texas and the illiteracy rate?
hmmmmm
no.. it must be that they vote democrat ;-> ;->
no other explanation for it, is there?
March 14, 2014 at 5:00 pm #805445
SmittyParticipantJoB,
All I am saying is that the “South” is constantly laughed at, ridiculed, and made fun of by the Left for consistently voting Repulican. You pay enough attention to politics that I am sure you are aware of this red state/blue state phenomenon, no?
My point is that if these liberal elites would dig a little deeper into the demographics of these southern states by party affiliation they might be surprised at what they find regarding education, poverty, obesity etc (all the things they make fun of).
It would ruin their meme.
March 14, 2014 at 9:11 pm #805446
JanSParticipantI think we need to get over this blue vs. red thing…one group doesn’t have a leg up on the other. Look at what the politicians are NOT doing for their constituents, etc. Not providing access to health care or funding it for those who make less, not educating the kids well enough, promoting unhealthy lifestyle and foods (but it’s the south we love our _____________ (fill in the blank). Or, look at the economics of the people in those states, where lots of carbs, etc, make up their diets, cheaper foods that add to obesity. And, yes, I’m originally from part of the “south”.
Education is everything…
But this constant cry from those on the right that it’s all the fault of the left, the liberals(or “libtards”, if you will, the Dems…it’s tiresome…it’s on both sides, sadly…but right now it’s on the Repubs in states like Texas…Rick Perry as gov? Idiot man, he is. Luckily, he will be out of there soon enough…
March 14, 2014 at 10:03 pm #805447
kgdlgParticipantIn less than 20 years Florida and Texas will both be majority people of color. Unless Republicans can come to their senses on immigration reform, these states will flip Blue soon, and the electoral college will be lost to Rs. Simple demographic trending.
March 14, 2014 at 11:01 pm #805448
JoBParticipantkgdlg.. not if they can figure out how to deny people of color the the vote..
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