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With the Darrington slide recovery still happening, it has come to notice that the developers who built most of the houses next to that slide - knew of the slide risks. There have been frequent slides there recorded all the way back to the 1940s with the most recent minor slide happening in 2006 while many of those houses were being built. Is it possible that the developers could be charged with anything? In civil or criminal courts?
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Mar 26, 2014 20:12
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Tigntink posted:With the Darrington slide recovery still happening, it has come to notice that the developers who built most of the houses next to that slide - knew of the slide risks. There have been frequent slides there recorded all the way back to the 1940s with the most recent minor slide happening in 2006 while many of those houses were being built. IANAL, but my Geo 101 professor made a point that things that are inherently 'Acts of God' require evidence of man-caused factors to show liability- and only the most ludicrously fraudulent claim would help you get any money back from buying in a landslide area. So basically never buy a house without a geology report.
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Mar 26, 2014 20:17
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Gerund posted:IANAL, but my Geo 101 professor made a point that things that are inherently 'Acts of God' require evidence of man-caused factors to show liability- and only the most ludicrously fraudulent claim would help you get any money back from buying in a landslide area. So basically never buy a house without a geology report. Yeah, I definitely maintain that homebuyers should always get all geo reports available for their area before buying. There counties make them super easy to look up on your own. KCounty and PCounty both have excellent online searchable maps and I assume Snoho does too.
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Mar 26, 2014 20:20
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Tigntink posted:With the Darrington slide recovery still happening, it has come to notice that the developers who built most of the houses next to that slide - knew of the slide risks. There have been frequent slides there recorded all the way back to the 1940s with the most recent minor slide happening in 2006 while many of those houses were being built. As for a civil suit, sure, it will happen. I expect the developer to just declare bankruptcy (if they haven't already), claim detrimental reliance on the county's zoning and issuing of permits, or (as Gerund said above) claim this was an act of God. I think the best target for a civil suit would be Snohomish County, assuming there's not some sort of codified immunity on its part.
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Mar 26, 2014 20:49
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Tigntink posted:Yeah, I definitely maintain that homebuyers should always get all geo reports available for their area before buying. There counties make them super easy to look up on your own. KCounty and PCounty both have excellent online searchable maps and I assume Snoho does too. SnoCo does.
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Mar 27, 2014 02:05
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Kaal posted:I completely agree with this, though you can be sure that the restaurant associations will scream at the idea of losing their bullshit exemptions to minimum wage and having to pay their employees. Kshama Sawant has indicated a willingness to compromise on a phase-in for small businesses, which I think is the best way to go. It's a good compromise, in that we don't really lose anything on it long-term, it gives small businesses some time to adjust while hitting the large businesses that really need to be hit hard, and gives those small businesses a regulatory advantage over the big ones, for once.
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Apr 1, 2014 19:32
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Thanatosian posted:I know this is old, but it's worth mentioning that in Washington, there is no "tipped wage" exemption for the minimum wage. Servers get minimum wage plus tips. I like the $15/hour wage, with a few conditions. 1) Phase in over 3-5 years, then tie to inflation. 2) Tipping exemption. I tip 20% normally, $15/hour + tips is crazy high money. Maybe an exemption that says you can be paid $10/hour and then get tips?(tips must at least make up the difference to $15) Not sure, but its a bit extreme for restaurants. 3) I want the range where salary kicks in to be doubled. Otherwise you will see an even larger increase in bullshit managerial positions paying the same as minimum wage. 4) Probably some considerations for smaller businesses.
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Apr 1, 2014 21:26
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Why is $15+tips considered high to you? Are you uncomfortable with the idea that a service-industry job might be paid too well?
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Apr 1, 2014 21:31
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Mrit posted:I like the $15/hour wage, with a few conditions. 2) The problem with this is that $15/hr + tips is only "crazy-high" if you're working 40-hour weeks, which service employees pretty much never are. It's not extreme for restaurants, especially for the ones that get a phase-in. 3) Absolutely. The shenanigans they pull with "exempt" employees are loving bullshit. 4) A phase-in is more than fair for small businesses.
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Apr 1, 2014 21:32
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Why do we need overtime exemptions anyway?
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Apr 1, 2014 23:11
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Farmer Crack-rear end posted:Why do we need overtime exemptions anyway? Ham Equity fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Apr 1, 2014 |
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Apr 1, 2014 23:21
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Mrit posted:2) Tipping exemption. I tip 20% normally, $15/hour + tips is crazy high money. Maybe an exemption that says you can be paid $10/hour and then get tips?(tips must at least make up the difference to $15) Not sure, but its a bit extreme for restaurants. How about you save some money then and don't tip. Or tip 15%. Or just keep how much you tip to yourself like classy people.
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Apr 1, 2014 23:23
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Mrit posted:2) Tipping exemption. I tip 20% normally, $15/hour + tips is crazy high money. Maybe an exemption that says you can be paid $10/hour and then get tips?(tips must at least make up the difference to $15) Not sure, but its a bit extreme for restaurants. I agree that 15/hour plus tips is a fairly good wage. If we imagine a waiter serving 2 meals of 20 dollars each an hour, and getting a 20% tip off each of them, that adds up to 23 an hour. Even assuming they have to pass on some of those tips or they get less than 20%, that is still around 20 an hour. When I had a job teaching GED at a community college, my salary worked out to around 25 an hour. So yeah, 20 dollars an hour for a waiter does seem a bit much. (These back-of-the-envelope calculations are not meant to be against the fact that yes, I do believe service people need to earn a living wage. I just think it is fair to point out these numbers for comparison.)
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Apr 2, 2014 03:47
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Thanatosian posted:I know this is old, but it's worth mentioning that in Washington, there is no "tipped wage" exemption for the minimum wage. Servers get minimum wage plus tips. I have two concerns about the "small business" issue: 1. Why should we be treating small businesses that pay poo poo wages better than large ones that pay poo poo wages? You don't get a rent credit for working at a small business, after all. 2. How do you define a "small business" to begin with? A McDonalds franchise seems like it would fit most definitions, as would Ferrari of Seattle or Mercedes Benz of Bellevue.
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Apr 2, 2014 04:13
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Thanatosian posted:1) There is really no reason Target, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wendy's, etc. can't begin paying a $15/hr minimum wage immediately. A phase-in is appropriate for small businesses, but the big boys can absorb the additional cost without a problem. And if they can't, well, then, gently caress 'em. Like Washington, Oregon requires bartenders, busers, and waitstaff make at least minimum wage. It's liberating in a small way. I usually tip 15 to 20% but if I get really awful service I don't feel bad leaving less. Also, I found the entire raise the minimum wage debate horribly frustrating. My South Carolina friends and family would talk about how even $7/hr was a huge burden on a franchisee. They'd ignore me when I'd tell them fast food, big box stores, and the like haven't disappeared up here.
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Apr 2, 2014 04:14
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I cackle with glee when I tell people the city of Seattle literally has no Walmarts. But we have every other big box store and they're doing great, so yeah.
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Apr 2, 2014 05:34
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Solkanar512 posted:I have two concerns about the "small business" issue: And we're talking three-year phase-in; not even that long. Plus, look at all the poo poo we give big businesses; you ever seen the tax benefits Boeing gets? loving ridiculous.
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Apr 2, 2014 06:50
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Yes, Boeing is such a truly sympathetic and put upon business.
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Apr 2, 2014 07:01
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Kaal posted:Hah yeah pretty much. The sufficiency rating of the Sellwood bridge is 2. Just 2%. It's a loving deathtrap. I figure one day it'll drop to 0% and it'll burst like a pinata. Fortunately it should be replaced by the end of next year. Well we already knew that's what would happen, but the general public is loving moronic greedy assholes and believe any ad that promises lower taxes. I work retail so I see all the greedy poo poo people do every day. Then all the politicians are easily bought, so they can cut any last red tape that remains; like denying the 15$ wage inside seatac. This was all thanks to the much-touted public referendum system. Can someone kick Tim Eyman back to the south? I'm just catching up on the thread but thought I'd mention that though we're considered solid blue our last few governor elections have been very close, most even requiring recounts. Plus we have some "dems" that are in name only (like Rodney Tom), so we're not that reliable for national elections, to say nothing of local ones. Spatula City posted:Also, there are a disproportionate number of people on the autism scale in this area. I heard that's from all the chemicals boeing dumped into lake washington over the last 100 years. Who knows if it's true. Edit: Might be true, I won't hold my breath. Even with mail ballots a ton of young people still don't bother voting, and many that still vote (like me) are disillusioned by the 2-party system and vote indy. \/ got any sevens fucked around with this message at 08:08 on Apr 2, 2014 |
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Apr 2, 2014 07:03
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effectual posted:I'm just catching up on the thread but thought I'd mention that though we're considered solid blue our last few governor elections have been very close, most even requiring recounts. Plus we have some "dems" that are in name only (like Rodney Tom), so we're not that reliable for national elections, to say nothing of local ones. I'm not really a fan of of the term "Democrat In Name Only," but it actually applies to the two of them entirely. Godwilling, we won't be seeing much of them after 2014. Also, we've got gay marriage, legalized euthanasia, and legalized marijuana, which is, like, the liberal social issue trifecta; we're the only state which has legalized any two of those things. Yeah, like most liberal states, we've got a strong rural/urban divide, but the city is growing, and the country folk are old and dying (thank goodness). The only Republican we've elected to statewide office is our secretary of state, and she's pretty moderate (and only got elected by touting bipartisanship). We're not Massachusetts, but we are liberal as gently caress, and only getting moreso. Ham Equity fucked around with this message at 07:21 on Apr 2, 2014 |
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Apr 2, 2014 07:15
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xrunner posted:Like Washington, Oregon requires bartenders, busers, and waitstaff make at least minimum wage. It's liberating in a small way. I usually tip 15 to 20% but if I get really awful service I don't feel bad leaving less. What is it with Southerners as a whole being so keen on being poo poo on when it comes to worker's rights? This poo poo predates the re-alignment of the South to the GOP or whatever, so it isn't just a case of toeing the party line. Is it out of some desire to demonstrate good Protestant industriousness unlike those greedy, uppity workers up north?
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Apr 2, 2014 08:27
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They got used to having workers they could poo poo on?
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Apr 2, 2014 09:06
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ProperGanderPusher posted:What is it with Southerners as a whole being so keen on being poo poo on when it comes to worker's rights? This poo poo predates the re-alignment of the South to the GOP or whatever, so it isn't just a case of toeing the party line. Is it out of some desire to demonstrate good Protestant industriousness unlike those greedy, uppity workers up north? More prosaically, it could just be that the federal minimum wage is less inadequate in the south, where prices tend to be pretty low. A federal minimum wage that makes sense in LA or NY doesn't necessarily make sense in Arkansas.
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Apr 2, 2014 09:08
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glowing-fish posted:More prosaically, it could just be that the federal minimum wage is less inadequate in the south, where prices tend to be pretty low. A federal minimum wage that makes sense in LA or NY doesn't necessarily make sense in Arkansas. Up to a point...  ]
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Apr 2, 2014 09:15
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Thanatosian posted:The definition will take some figuring, yeah. But it's mostly that Target can absorb the sudden increase in wages much more easily than Bob's Burgers can. In the end it's a minor point really, I just see the lionization of "small business" and think "most hedge funds are small businesses". That, and many folks who have worked for one have delightful stories about how lovely they are. I know I do.
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Apr 2, 2014 12:29
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FRINGE posted:Up to a point... That WA one must be out of date, unless you live in Eastern Washington or the Pennisula, no way can you get a 2 bedroom for ~850-900/month. I live in the Lynnwood area and prices just keep skyrocketing.
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Apr 2, 2014 16:21
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$800-850 is pretty common for an apartment that size in Pullman.
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Apr 2, 2014 17:42
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Solkanar512 posted:In the end it's a minor point really, I just see the lionization of "small business" and think "most hedge funds are small businesses". That, and many folks who have worked for one have delightful stories about how lovely they are.
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Apr 2, 2014 17:59
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Mrit posted:That WA one must be out of date, unless you live in Eastern Washington or the Pennisula, no way can you get a 2 bedroom for ~850-900/month. I live in the Lynnwood area and prices just keep skyrocketing. In 2006 I was in an apartment in greenwood for 750 a mo for a 2 bedroom but when we started looking for a new one in 2008/09 prices were about 1000 a mo in the same area. Amazon blowing up + new tech offices for every major company really just blew up prices in a short amount of time. Something like 14,000 new apartments are coming on the market this year to start drowning down the prices, hopefully.
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Apr 2, 2014 18:01
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Thanatosian posted:It depends upon how you define "small business." If you go by number of employees, yeah, hedge funds are generally small businesses; go by revenue, though? All of a sudden, things change. Yes, and that would definitely be better, but the legal definition is a place that employees fewer than 500 people. Revenue doesn't matter when it comes to things like tax breaks and what have you. I think Valve is even still a small business, or at least they were the last time I checked.
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Apr 2, 2014 18:13
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Wanamingo posted:Yes, and that would definitely be better, but the legal definition is a place that employees fewer than 500 people. Revenue doesn't matter when it comes to things like tax breaks and what have you. There are different "legal definitions" of small business depending upon what law you're talking about. For the purposes of the WA minimum wage phase-in, we can make it whatever we want. I'm guessing they're going to go with revenue, but it's hard to say at this point.
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Apr 2, 2014 18:31
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Thanatosian posted:There are different "legal definitions" of small business depending upon what law you're talking about. For the purposes of the WA minimum wage phase-in, we can make it whatever we want. I'm guessing they're going to go with revenue, but it's hard to say at this point. Well regardless, I'll take that before I take a tip credit. I'm not too concerned about the people who handle my food and ensure I don't catch salmonella/listeria/e coli might "make too much money".
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Apr 2, 2014 18:40
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Solkanar512 posted:Well regardless, I'll take that before I take a tip credit. I'm not too concerned about the people who handle my food and ensure I don't catch salmonella/listeria/e coli might "make too much money". I actually wrote Kshama Sawant a "gently caress the haters" email on that issue specifically; I think passing a $15 minimum wage will be awesome, and I'd waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy rather compromise on a small timing issue than compromise on something like a tipped wage. Though, it'd be nice to see tips go the way of the dinosaur, too, and have restaurants just pay their people better.
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Apr 2, 2014 18:51
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I thought tipping of waitstaff was created to offset the lower-than-minimum wage structure that is allowed in some states.
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Apr 2, 2014 19:34
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BraveUlysses posted:I thought tipping of waitstaff was created to offset the lower-than-minimum wage structure that is allowed in some states. Since it's a tertiary issue to the minimum wage, I'll just say that giving servers a tipped wage provides a big incentive for them to lie about their tips to the IRS, an incentive for their employers to pay them less, and doesn't actually seem to accomplish its intended goal of getting people better service. It's not something I think we as a state should be getting into.
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Apr 2, 2014 19:50
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Tigntink posted:In 2006 I was in an apartment in greenwood for 750 a mo for a 2 bedroom but when we started looking for a new one in 2008/09 prices were about 1000 a mo in the same area. Amazon blowing up + new tech offices for every major company really just blew up prices in a short amount of time. Something like 14,000 new apartments are coming on the market this year to start drowning down the prices, hopefully. The percentage of 2-bedroom apartments (aka 'family housing') that are being created is much smaller than the number of small families being created in the Seattle metro area; if you're willing to raise a kid in a single bedroom while sharing a kitchen with five strangers then more power to you, but the housing situation is not at all being 'fixed' by the developers.
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Apr 2, 2014 20:00
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Gerund posted:The percentage of 2-bedroom apartments (aka 'family housing') that are being created is much smaller than the number of small families being created in the Seattle metro area; if you're willing to raise a kid in a single bedroom while sharing a kitchen with five strangers then more power to you, but the housing situation is not at all being 'fixed' by the developers. Yeah, this obsession with apodments and everyone essentially living in a dorm is simply a joke. Is the landlord going to play RA as well? I've also read that they're build to exploit loopholes in fire and building codes that would normally apply to apartments. Is this is the case, and if so how bad are we talking about?
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Apr 2, 2014 20:07
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Seattle Metro is part of the major 'Big Sort' zones where pretty much every post-college 20-30 year old is settling within the last five years. So there are more people coming in that are willing to live in 1502ft rooms with a single tiny oven shared between six people, because there are more rooms like that in Seattle, because there are more people moving in, because there are more rooms like that in Seattle, etc. Its going to create a big conflict in a decade when the (now 30-40) adults get kids and try to decide where they are going to settle- because there aren't many places that have family jobs that also have family housing.
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Apr 2, 2014 20:23
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Solkanar512 posted:Yeah, this obsession with apodments and everyone essentially living in a dorm is simply a joke. Is the landlord going to play RA as well? How many apodments do you really think are being built? There's only a few of those new buildings going up and most of them are being highly protested by the communities. The primary problem with the 15,000 new places opening up by 2015(rechecked numbers) is the vast majority will cost 40% more than average simply because they are new. However, if new tech workers who can afford these move in, that should open the older apartments and houses to others. As of right now in the Seattle city limits there are only 3000 dwellings for sale as well so a simple lack of stock is driving up prices. Most houses are getting 2+ above asking bids.
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Apr 2, 2014 21:16
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Back to an old topic - Owner of Liberty Bar in Cap Hill just shot himself in the foot in my opinion http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/your-favorite-indie-shop-is-out-of-business-if-15-an-hour-happens/Content?oid=19182099 The whole article is probably worth quoting but what I took away from it is "I pay my employees the current minimum wage, don't want to pay they more, because I only take home a paltry 5% bonus every year" Which seems impossible because the guy seems to have enough money to try to open another bar on capital hill. This all totally ignoring that he doesn't seem to understand how beneficial it is for people who make minimum wage finally having enough money in their pockets to maybe go out to eat once a month rather than subsisting on the food bank. I already hated the Liberty Bar because I already thought their drinks were vile but now I can tell my friends that I REALLY an uninterested in giving them any business at all.
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Apr 2, 2014 21:25
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