Home › Forums › Open Discussion › WHY SEATTLE IS IN TROUBLE?
- This topic has 27 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 8 months ago by gxnx.
-
AuthorPosts
-
June 26, 2020 at 11:25 am #981676
gxnxParticipantWHY SEATTLE IS IN TROUBLE
Only in Seattle do the tree trimmers make $160,000 per year!Today, our investigation is an Editor’s Pick at Forbes: Why Seattle And Their Police Department Is In Trouble.
Our auditors dug into how Seattle is actually spending taxpayer dollars. We found:
tree trimmers lopped off $160,604
the chief librarian made $197,704
electricians earned $271,070
electrical lineworkers made $307,387
police officers earned up to $414,543
Last year, 601 city employees out-earned the mayor ($199,593), and the mayor out-earned 49 out of 50 state governors (top pay: $202,000).The city council member ($131,336) leading the charge to defund the police made more than the members of the New York general assembly — the most highly compensated state legislature in the country ($130,000).
Read our breaking oversight piece at Forbes where we outline all the details.June 26, 2020 at 11:26 am #981677
gxnxParticipantRaise our taxes!!
June 26, 2020 at 1:01 pm #981689
heartlessParticipantSo you think cops are paid too much?
June 26, 2020 at 2:22 pm #981696
Willie MurderfaceParticipantyes
June 26, 2020 at 6:22 pm #981713
Seriously?Participant1. Provide proof that even one police officer in Seattle earning close to half a million bucks a year.
2. The “data” found in the article is provided by a website that also happens to be owned and operated by the writer of the article – and that seems to be the only place the “data” is pulled from.
3. Tax religion and AmazonJune 27, 2020 at 1:29 pm #981776
gxnxParticipantthe data is from forbes.com.
City of Seattle employees are highly paid and have the most secured jobs-no layoffs.
What do the librarians do when the libraries are closed?June 27, 2020 at 1:54 pm #981780
heartlessParticipantJune 27, 2020 at 2:52 pm #981784
Seriously?ParticipantThe article was published on Forbes.com. The author of the article is:
Adam Andrzejewski Senior Contributor.Looking at the first graphic in the article, underneath it, there is a credit to: OPENTHEBOOKS.COM
There is a short bio about the author at the end of the article. I have cut and pasted it here.
Adam Andrzejewski (say: Angie-eff-ski) is the CEO & Founder of OpenTheBooks.com – one of the largest private databases of government spending in the world. Our mission: “Every Dime, Online, In Real Time.” We’ve captured 5 billion public-sector transactions including 23 million public employee salary and pension records. I’ve spoken on big data journalism at Harvard Law School; Georgetown Law School; and the Columbia School of Journalism. My work has been featured at major national news platforms such as C-SPAN; Good Morning America and ABC World News Tonight; USA Today; The Wall Street Journal; The New York Times; National Public Radio (NPR); FOX News; and CNN. My Forbes online columns have over 7 million page views.
As he is a senior contributor to Forbes and the CEO of the website used to source the data, leads me to doubt his data, especially as he provides no cross references or parameters for how the information was/is collected. Numbers and statistics can be manipulated to prove whatever it is you are trying to prove. Numbers may not “lie,” but if an author manipulates said numbers to reflect favorably on their thesis – that is, in my opinion, questionable data.
I am pointing this out, not in an effort to be a “troll” or trying to bait someone into an argument. I point this out to show that we cannot take everything we read, see or hear at face value – especially when it comes from the internet. Follow up on the author – what are their credentials and affiliation with the publisher or information they are sharing? Follow links to websites mentioned in the articles – what are those websites and where did they get their information from? Who are they affiliated with? In a time where it is easier than ever to spread misinformation, it falls on all of us to take the responsibility to investigate the validity of any articles or information we are sharing and/or reading.
Be safe, be well and be happy!
- This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Seriously?. Reason: clarifying a statement
June 27, 2020 at 3:30 pm #981751
anonymeParticipantSeriously? I completely agree with #3.
June 27, 2020 at 3:32 pm #981775
Michael WaldoParticipantI too find this article dubious. But, I don’t have an issue with professionals making good money. Seattle is an expensive city to live in. My wife and I have a combined 6 figure income and are thinking about moving as we can’t afford the continuing raise in property taxes and utility bills. And I really don’t mind police being paid well. They go out every day and encounter the worst of humanity the rest of us call 911 about. The majority of police are just doing their jobs to protect and serve. Just because there are a few bad cops doesn’t mean we should eliminate all cops. Reform is over due. The house passed a great police reform bill that can be a model for state and local governments. To call for help with the mentally ill, there needs to be, instead of calling 911, another number that would summon mental health professionals. Put the police back to their main job, investigate and solve crimes.
June 27, 2020 at 10:23 pm #981824
gxnxParticipantWhat, you make 6 figures income and still can’t afford?
There is something wrong….I bet you have 4 cars, a boat and lots of toys and a high maintenance lifestyles.
June 28, 2020 at 4:32 pm #981862
2 Much WhineParticipantYah, Michael Waldo you probably have to pay for healthcare and maybe you are paying back student loans or paying into a 401K to be able to retire some day since pensions are a thing of the past. Maybe you’re paying into a college fund for your kids or paying property taxes to support light rail and education. How dare you be so frivolous. How dare you live such a high maintenance lifestyle!
June 28, 2020 at 10:24 pm #981896
mark47nParticipantYou may want to dig into whether or not those numbers include costs other than just wages paid. Wages paid to electricians that are employed by the City of Seattle are about $40/hr and linemen earn about $50/hr. These numbers do not jibe with the actual people doing the work earn. This looks far more like a hatchet job.
June 30, 2020 at 12:47 am #981909
Michael WaldoParticipanthey gxnx – now I know you are just anther internet troll. Attacking me personally when you know nothing about me. Your attack against me is insensitive, unnecessary, untrue and does not respond to the topic. And a sign you don’t like being called out on such a dubious post.
June 30, 2020 at 12:10 pm #982004
gxnxParticipantWest Seattle Island- home of palm trees and beautiful bountiful coconut trees. Maybe they should not rebuilt the bridge, less pollution, less traffic and quiet island living in the city.
Closed all the roads leading to W. Seattle like they do to Key West.June 30, 2020 at 12:14 pm #982005
gxnxParticipantNobody is forcing you to live in Seattle, you are welcome to move to Topeka KS…cheaper
Cost of living is high in Seattle because people vote the wrong people in the Clown-council.
Property taxes gone up because………….of paying for teachers, Union strong hold.
It is always about money and control.June 30, 2020 at 7:16 pm #982015
heartlessParticipantMichael Waldo,
Yep, I agree, just a troll.
I had a suspicion when there was no response after I directly asked gxnx what their point was, and if they thought cops were overpaid. Never a good sign when you try to start a good faith dialog and get ignored!
July 1, 2020 at 1:44 pm #982079
gxnxParticipantI just heard from the Dory Monson’s show, Kiro Radio and he even got the guy from openthebooks on his show about the fat pension city employees get and the taxpayers’ have to pony up.
I am just a messenger and not an internet roll.Don’t you guys listen to the news?
July 1, 2020 at 6:38 pm #982094
HappyOnAlkiParticipantUm, Gxnx, Dory Monson’s show is not exactly the news . . . .
July 2, 2020 at 4:30 am #982136
mark47nParticipantPensions are generally listed as “deferred income” meaning that yo accept less money up front for your work and have it made up upon retirement. It’s one of the reasons why public sector jobs pay less.
Dory Monson is news like Fox is news. lopsided, selective and loaded, if not all, opinion.
July 2, 2020 at 11:51 am #982146
gxnxParticipantJuly 7, 2020 at 12:00 pm #982569
gxnxParticipantBe prepared to pay more next year just to live in Seattle.
Thanks to our poor elected weeny leaders that you elected.July 7, 2020 at 2:19 pm #982577
heartlessParticipantNobody is forcing you to live in Seattle, you are welcome to move to Topeka KS…cheaper
July 7, 2020 at 2:24 pm #982578
gxnxParticipant@hearthless…you are correct and that what I have been telling those that B*&^^tch about the high taxes,the high cost of living and the elected officials that they voted.
July 8, 2020 at 1:00 pm #982653
J242ParticipantSPD salaries $83-109K:
https://www.seattle.gov/police/police-jobs/salary-and-benefitsAverage base pay $87K/year:
https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/seattle-police-officer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM781_KO8,22.htmZipRecruiter says the average is $52K/year:
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/How-Much-Does-a-Police-Officer-Make-a-Year-in-Seattle,WANowhere near the $400K number given earlier.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.