Tuesday, January 20, 2004
 
What If Seattle Needs a Wal-Mart?

Kim du Toit is all over a story in the Seattle Workers' Revolution story about Bill Gates buying properties surrounding his home and letting friends and family members live there. In some cases, the original owners are still there, living in Bill Gates's house.

And this accumulation of property by a capitalist must be stopped, or so the story implies.

But let's get to the point of the knife. The municipal government's worried about its money:
    If other residents follow Gates' lead, that could present some challenges for the city of 3,000, said Medina City Manager Doug Schulze. Much of the money the city gets from the state is based on population. If people buy up surrounding houses and don't have people living in them, the city's share of state funding might decline, he said.
Ah, yes. Lest we forget, the government has a right to revenue from property owners. Or so it's assuming.

That's why your house is worth less to your local government than a dozen empty parking spaces in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and why this local government is beginning to make noise about preventing a man from acquiring property legally. For the neighborhood, and undoubtedly for the Children.

- posted by Brian J. @ 8:09 PM
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