Software Executive and Investor, mostly focused on infra software enabling AI, cloud, data, security, and reliability.
Seattle, WA, USA
Joined June 2011
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Kit Merker retweeted
Ken Jennings says I-645 is a "$13 billion tax break."
That's FOUR years of projected revenue from a tax nobody pays until 2029.
WA voters have rejected an income tax 10 times since 1934.
Make it 11.
YES on 645.
seattletimes.com/seattle-new…
Kit Merker retweeted
Liberal friends: I know you care deeply about taxes. You itch to pass more of them.
Well, here you go again. You’re being asked to vote Yes on I-645 to repeal the income tax, and the scratch is kicking in hard.
But consider this. Jamie Pedersen has said that if 645 passes, they’ll move a corporate net income tax — finally putting Microsoft and Amazon on the bill.
So scratch that itch the smart way. Vote Yes on I-645. Repeal the household tax that skips the C-corps. Open the door to taxing them.
Kit Merker retweeted
If you vote "Yes," it will repeal the illegal income tax.
It will not reduce funding to schools or human services because the tax doesn't go into effect until 2029. So we aren't taking anything away.
Starbucks left because of this. Microsoft has threatened to move jobs out of state. Amazon now employs nearly 15,000 fewer people in Seattle than at its peak. Seattle is second to last in the number of VC deals that closed in Q3.
Holding a small number of companies and rich people hostage, when they have options, is a foolish strategy that is already backfiring spectacularly.
The real solution to our problems is to reduce taxes on businesses and income. Why even tax people under 25 at all? Give families with children a HUGE tax credit. Make this state an incredible place to do business and have a family.
Encourage entrepreneurs to come here.
Get startups, agencies, and smart, motivated people to build here. We can increase overall state revenue if more people make stuff, employ people, and create more value for everyone here.
Not by chasing them out of the state and creating a hostile environment for business.
Remember this: governments and taxes don't make jobs. Entrepreneurs do.
When millionaires get a tax break, our hospitals and health care clinics pay the price.
Doctors know this. That’s why the Washington State Medical Association is opposing I-645.
I-645 would repeal the millionaires tax, give a tax break to the wealthiest, and defund social services and health care access in the process.
We won't stand for this.
Washington: Vote NO on I-645!
Read more about their decision here:
wsma.org/membership-memo/wsm…
Kit Merker retweeted
I'm not sure if everyone realizes that this "Millionaires Tax" will require EVERYONE to file their income with the state and you get an exemption on all income under 1 million.
It only takes one session to lower the exemption amount to $500k
It also doesn't just hit W2 high earners.
It covers married couples, out of state residents, LLC, S-Corp, and pensions.
If you think this doesn't effect you think agian.
Vote YES on I-645
Kit Merker retweeted
I have to admit, I enjoy listening to these hardcore Seattle liberals grapple with the fact that the new Washington State millionaires tax is having a serious impact not just on the local economy, but on their own livelihoods and jobs.
High-end architect:
"All my customers are leaving."
General contractor:
"They canceled the remodel. Asked if I work in Nevada."
Tech startup bro:
"Umm... where are all the investors?"
Real estate agent:
"No one moving here wants a condo."
Non-profit CEO:
"Where are all my donors going?"
Restaurant owner:
"Our best customers all moved to Las Vegas."
Personal trainer:
"I'm doing Zoom sessions until I find new clients."
Executive recruiter:
"The job is technically in Seattle. The executive is not."
Art gallery owner:
"They’re buying art for their new house in Austin."
High-end relocation company owner:
"Honestly, we're doing great."
Kit Merker retweeted
Don't be fooled by misleading ballot language. It's an income tax. Vote Yes on 645 to Repeal It.
EXCLUSIVE: New I-645 poll shows income tax repeal surging when voters skip the ballot spin seattlered.com/taxes/i-645-p…
Kit Merker retweeted
Imagine how high your property taxes would be today if Washington didn't have property tax limits.
That's what an income tax with no constitutional limits looks like. Today's rate is just the starting point.
Ballots are due November 3. Vote yes on I-645.
Kit Merker retweeted
Washington State is trending again.
It's never just one issue either.
It's people from all over the state talking about issues from daycare fraud, Ferguson wanting to deploy NG on election day, girls sports, taxes, crime...
Holy crap people.
If this is not an admission that this state is falling apart I don't know what is.
Kit Merker retweeted
Imagine your net worth is $200,000. One day an armed gang comes up to your house and demands $10,000.
“Don’t worry!” the leader says. “I’m only going to do this one time. Plus, it’s only 5% of your net worth. What’s the big deal ?”
After he leaves, you call the cops, but they aren’t interested in investigating the matter. “What’s the big deal?” they tell you. “After all, it’s only 5% of your net worth!”
As you’re preparing to flee the city for a place where you cannot be robbed, Gabriel Zucman appears on your doorstep.
“Why are you leaving?” he asks.
“Somebody just robbed me and the police aren’t going to do anything. I want to live somewhere I can’t be robbed!”
“But sir,” says Mr Zucman, “Have you considered the fact that the man told you it was a one-time tax ? Have you considered that you gain nothing by leaving since the tax is already paid ? There’s no economic reason for you to leave anymore.”
What amazes me is the attitude of so many of the centibillionaires.
A 5% tax will not make any difference to the way they live. Their spending may be extravagant, but it is still much less than their (correctly measured) income.
They know that, as gifted as some of them indeed are, they have benefited from extreme luck (and the help of the state, and, to speak like an economist, monopoly rents).
They know that their effective tax rate is low, relative to what many others pay.
They know that extreme inequality is extremely unpopular, and can lead to political unrest, backlash, or worse.
They must admit that, morally, it is hard to argue for a society in which some become obscenely wealthy, while so many are poor and see their income stagnate.
They typically have not indicated that they are building their wealth to eventually make the world a better place.
But they are still willing to fight the tax, spending hundreds of millions in California to avoid paying the tax. Why?
They simply think what is theirs is theirs, end of story.
They believe in the slippery slope, and if they do not take a stand on this levy, the government will come back for more.
They hate the state and the notion that their money will be misused?
Or?
Vote YES
The answer on I-645's potential impact depends on the timeframe and also on your definition of tax break. seattletimes.com/seattle-new…
GemDB is betting that by making it simpler for developers to use GemDB there will be more downloads that eventually lead to its object database being deployed more often in production environments.
Via @devopsdotcom
devops.com/gemdb-extension-u…
Insurance for kids who get brain freeze from eating ice cream too fast? Wtf
icecreambrainfreeze.com/
Kit Merker retweeted
The moral case for capitalism is that your life belongs to you. Your work, your savings and your plans don’t become somebody else’s property because they have a moving speech about how they’d use them.
