A listener recently wrote to him with a press release about how Walmart had chosen Clarkston, WA over nearby Lewiston, ID for a new superstore.
Why would Dori care about that? Well, to hear him yell it, businesses are blowing out of Washington like vermin.
And it’s all the fault of business-hating commies led by the libber-dee-hating Governor Gregoire and the Democrat politicians with their socialist gamut of onerous taxes and regulatory barriers. Liberal politicians, union thugs and environmentalist wackos have conspired, he always says, to create the commercial wasteland that is Washington. (It’s an old GOP line that’s never worked to elect a single Republican in this state- Right, Dino?, John?).
Where have all the flowers gone... or wish they could go? To Idaho!
Dori went on and on. Á toujours.
But our reader sent more evidence that this is a myth. He sent Dori reporting why that crazy-pants liberal Walmart actually chose the Washington town.
They did it for many reasons- all of which trumped. apparently, the hell that Democrat tyranny has created. "The deal," said a company spokeswoman, "came together more quickly in Clarkston.”
Even despite employees from the store they were closing in Idaho would get raises because Washington’s socialist minimum wage is higher.
Overall, the climate for their bottom line was more friendly in Washington State. Idaho has a corporate income tax of 7.6 percent, a sales tax of 6 percent and a personal income tax goes from 1.6 to 7.8 percent. Forbes magazine famously rated Washington the 2nd best state to do business and Idaho's has fallen from 7th to 11th. They rank Washington's regulatory environment,at fifth-place while Idaho's is at 35th.
We know that our intrepid commenters will say that Clarkston is in Eastern Washington, not the People's Republic of Seattle; we'd hasten to add that the dryside of the state would be a like a 3rd World country if it were not for the mighty economic driver of the Puget Sound region.
This argument will never end, but one thing is sure… the climate for business innovation and growth in Washington is the envy of most states. This dogged recession is less doggardly here than in most states.
In this economy, we for one, are glad we have a schoolmarm rather than a cowboy for a guv. (We also like being known for Microsoft, sushi-eaters, and airplanes rather than potatoes, and white supremacists).
(HT to RR)
Moses Lake might be getting a carbon fiber plant built there by BMW as well. Grant County PUD seems to have an asset in it's favor, Hydropower that may be even cheaper than the BPA. THe carbon fiber plant would be making panels for a new Electric Vehicle, and they are in the middle of a turbine upgrade(more efficient and fish friendly) at Wannapum and Priest Rapids. Although the deal may fall apart, Grant County officials had been pretty worried about the news getting out, they even had a codename for the plant, Project Chinook. The competition is an undisclosed city in Canada.
http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/03/22/daily41.html
Posted by: EvergreenRailfan | April 06, 2010 at 01:39 AM
Walmart also likes its corporate welfare, esp. the willingness of gov't to use emminent domain to help out a mega-tax-generator like a Walmart supercenter. A blue state like WA is always going to come out ahead of a red state like Idaho in that regard.
You know the irony cuts both ways here. Sure Dori may have some splainin to do, but what about liberals citing a Walmart opening as a sign that WA is on the right track. (not to mention citing the right-leaning, pro-free-market Forbes mag.
Posted by: woody held | April 06, 2010 at 07:24 AM
The 'example' of Wal-Mart will be used, obviously, when it is advantageous to do so. It does seem to portend some degree of hypocracy...but alas which political party doesn't portray a fair dose of that.
Posted by: Duffman | April 06, 2010 at 07:35 AM
Oh, and have I mentioned that Dori (over and above having a bit of a girl's name) is above all...an 'entertainer' and a 'showman'. That one would believe his fibre to be as portrayed on the air is testiment to his ability to convey pseudo-passion (a requisite in successful talk-showmanship). This MO seems to generate ratings and a following for him and his show on KIRO. Gee, ya think it might be working? Case in point: 'T008'(and others), who obviously can't seem to get enough of him...(but, of course never listen to him; or if they do it's by accident) [smile]
[Meanwhile, he continues to bank it.]
Posted by: Duffman | April 06, 2010 at 07:45 AM
...sorry teach: 'testament'
Posted by: Duffman | April 06, 2010 at 08:25 AM
Less doggedly here than in other states? Ask the state director of banking why 12 Washington State Banks are going to be shut down this year. Washington State is 3rd in the nation for bank failures. The state is in no way supportive of business.
Posted by: Old man in young man's body | April 06, 2010 at 08:51 AM
Dori has a small penis, was sawed off at the knees and has a girl's name. Leave him alone.
Posted by: The Pooper | April 06, 2010 at 09:53 AM
WalMart is one of the reasons the state is shutting down the now-bankrupt state health insurance. For a long time, prospective employees were handed a form on which to sign up for the state insurance because WalMart did not offer health benefits. That changed eventually, but the state program is broken for those who were out of a job but needed basic coverage.
Posted by: sparky | April 06, 2010 at 10:04 AM
I am not a Dori lover at all but this Gov Chris is bad bad bad. She just wants to raise taxes on all of us in these times? She did lie. Stop increasing spending and make an across the board cut to balance the budget. Thats what families have to do.
Posted by: Kent S. | April 06, 2010 at 10:21 AM
What would you cut, Kent? The number of police and fire personnel?
Cut weeks from the school year like they did in Portland? Forgo building or improving anymore roads? --KS wouldn't like that.
Maybe we should cut off aid to the mentally and physically handicapped?
Shut down libraries and parks? Get rid of Metro? Let people continue to drive on the Viaduct until it totally crumbles? Should we release prisoners? Cut off chuck's unemployment? Take away Medicaid benefits? Turn Eastern Washington into "a third world country", as Bla'M calls it, by cutting off all state subsidies??
Do you know how much would need to be cut to balance the budget?
Posted by: sparky | April 06, 2010 at 10:38 AM
I think the Governor's proposed 20% cut 'across-the-board' sounds reasonable to me, provided it is indeed 'across-the-board', including union contractual obligations and tribal allowances.
Posted by: Duffman | April 06, 2010 at 10:50 AM
Dave Ross was on TV to talk about his victorious drive for the Lake Union fireworks. This success has to come as a blow to Dori, for his entire shtick is faux populism. Dave Ross has proven how powerful the platform can be, and the degree to which Dori has squandered it.
Does anyone think Dori could have pulled this off? It was ultimately a show of generosity and hope. Dori is not about generosity, nor hope. Dori's mean spirited screeds against public officials and human garbage does not lend itself to benevolence and outpourings from the community.
I've said for a long time that Dori is an embarrassment for the region for making Seattlites look like mean spirited right wing wackos, but this high contrast between the light and the dark truly puts the extent of this fact in perspective.
Dori and what he represent is like shit in a toilet. Everyone shits, it's natural. But we usually flush it right away. We doon't usually take the shit out and play with it. Dori, and the crowd he appeals to, are our collective feces.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2010 at 11:50 AM
NEWS FLASH!!!
Attention everyone living in America: you are FREE to not listen to or watch any radio and/or television program you choose. Isn't life in America grand.
Posted by: Duffman | April 06, 2010 at 11:54 AM
In the same way that conservatives hold Obama accountable for Bush's economy because he's black, local conservatives hold Gregoire to an unreasonable standard because she's a woman.
Face it. You just don't like a woman being in charge.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Wow! And all this time I hadn't realized that our 43rd POTUS was black. Guess I just didn't notice...being too busy cheer-leading for Ms Clinton for President.
Posted by: Duffman | April 06, 2010 at 12:05 PM
<< NEWS FLASH!!!
Attention everyone living in America: you are FREE to not listen to or watch any radio and/or television program you choose. Isn't life in America grand. >>
Yes it is, especially when we can choose to monitor "the opposition" and are then also free to boycott those sponsors of dishonestly, fabrication and hate. (Trust me: I pay CLOSE attention to Monson's sponsors and then I make sure NEVER to spend a dime there.) To simply tune someone out merely because we usually disagree makes no sense for a serious thinker in a free society; in fact, it's very much the opposite of those who glean their information ONLY from Fox News or right-wing talk radio. The "true American" is always willing to listen to anyone, even those with whom we disagree. Unique concept, ain't it?
Posted by: BenSeattle | April 06, 2010 at 12:14 PM
That story I mentioned earlier about the BMW parts plant for Moses Lake? Looks like it's official, they got it. Now I wonder how they managed to avoid Idaho Governor Otter's offer to locate there? Could it be as mentioned, the Hydro-electric power from the Columbia River Dams? As I said, the Grant County PUD owns most of it's generating resources, and probably generates more than they need, and it keeps power rates low. The mission of public utilities in this state is not subsidised low rates, but power at cost. Seattle City Light is usually around 6 cents a Kilowatt/hour, but I heard that Grant County is somewhere around 3 Cents. Other infrastructure working in Moses Lake's favor is I-90 going though town, and the Grant County Airport. The latter was not built by the airlines, or Boeing, but by the Federal Government, as an Air Force Base.
http://www.kxly.com/news/23065975/detail.html
Posted by: EvergreenRailfan | April 06, 2010 at 12:25 PM
I don't mind listening to people I disagree with as long as they're well informed and make a compelling case.
Lately there has been no such thing. FOX NEWS just picks on something tangentialy related to our WONDERFUL BLACK PRESIDENT like Acorn or Phil Ayers and asks idiotic rhetoricals like "how can we know who this man really is????" It's intellectually weak. It just give frightened conservatives something to nod their head at in cathartic agreement to. The days of the thinking conservative are long behind us.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2010 at 12:26 PM
No need for gross rationalization and/or begging justification and acceptance...YOU ARE FREE!
Posted by: Duffman | April 06, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Rural states like Idaho are money drains on the rest of the country. They receive more federal funds per capita than then costal states. They'll talk about secession to satisfy their egos but the truth is they could never afford it... unless third world living is their idea of fun. Where do they get most of their culture from? Where do most of their customers reside? ... They rail against liberal enclaves while simultaneously eating from its tit.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2010 at 12:42 PM
gee, maybe we should annex ID. We could turn it into tent city.
Posted by: Rich | April 06, 2010 at 01:32 PM
Rural states like Idaho are money drains on the rest of the country. "They receive more federal funds per capita than then costal states. They'll talk about secession to satisfy their egos but the truth is they could never afford it."
Texas a money drain ? That conclusion has a big-a$$ hole in it. At the present rate, it will soon become more lucrative than bankrupt California - a costal state.
Posted by: KS | April 06, 2010 at 03:15 PM
I've seen fancy charts that show the flow of money of the US, it all flows inwards from the edges, sourcing from California, the Great Lakes, the Northeast and from the Northwest to a lesser extent. And then when that money reaches somewhere near the middle it just dies.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2010 at 03:34 PM
Costal? or coastal? Costal refers to the ribcage area of the body.
Texas has a coastline along the Gulf of Mexico.
Posted by: sparky | April 06, 2010 at 04:40 PM
What other states besides Texas have threatened secession ?
Of course it's coastal.
Posted by: KS | April 06, 2010 at 05:01 PM
Texas does have the city with the highest per-capita cost of health-care in the nation (including, private insurance medicare and medicaid) despite enacting tort reform.
Hopefully they can afford to pay for it when they secede.
Posted by: ExPatBrit | April 06, 2010 at 05:53 PM
Texas also has the highest per-capita breast implants, tummy tucks, butt lifts, nose and neck jobs in the nation.
I wonder what kind of an adverse effect that might have on the numbers.
It also leaves a fellow to wonder what kind of adverse effect illegal aliens have on the cost. Texas has more people sneak over the border to have their baby's in American hospitals then any other state, including California.
Posted by: chuck says joanie is a liar. (because she lies) | April 06, 2010 at 07:37 PM
Davey Crockett went out to Texas
To fight at the Alamo
Old Will Travis never told him
Texas is in Mexico
It's a bloody mess
You know the rest
Posted by: Coiler | April 06, 2010 at 08:55 PM
Texas has the added advantage of...oil. Idaho has trout. Eastern Washington has paunchy teabaggers who sit on their recliners and yell swear words at lady senators on the fone.
Posted by: The Pooper | April 06, 2010 at 09:35 PM
I'm not sure about Idaho but I know that Eastern Warshingtonians talk about breaking off all the time.
I for one love Eastern Warshington and I'd hate to see it go.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2010 at 10:57 PM
Actually, a lefty using the example of Walmart selecting a more business friendly state for its locale is entirely within his philosophy. It clearly displays the true socialistic tendencies of one of the allstars of American vulture-capitalism.
Walmart & BMW can also thank American taxpayers from all fifty states for paying to build those dams supplying their inexpensive electricity. And of course, in turn all those people who end up working directly for those two companies, or all the companion companies that spring up around them can thank everyone including the State of Washington for its business-friendlyness. They won't need to thank Dori or Butch though.
Posted by: slingshot | April 06, 2010 at 11:01 PM
Washington is a choice place for many businesses to position themselves. It's only fair that Washington would have slightly hire fees. That's how business always it. Desirable things cost more. Who in their right mind would want to ruin a software firm out of Buttfuck Idaho? If you're business is shoveling steer shit from a smaller pile to larger one then maybe Idaho is the perfect place for you.
Posted by: Andrew | April 06, 2010 at 11:31 PM
To be fair, there is a fairly healthy high tech scene around Boise; Micron Technologies, for example.
Posted by: slingshot | April 07, 2010 at 10:04 AM
To claim that bank failures are a result of the state's business climate is so head-up-your-butt preposterous, ignorant and uninformed it renders you a complete jackal.
Posted by: slingshot | April 07, 2010 at 10:09 AM
i waa thinking about the Dori types of this country , the money and profit worshippers, the people who would rather greedily hold onto a measly thousand dollars out of your well over 6 figure income rather than pitch in from a sense of community and conrtibute it to something that will provide a wonderful summer evening for free to the masses.......this worship of money and profit ulimately reaches the point where the "value" of the money is really illusory and meaningless at least from a personal greed standpoint...Bob Brinker was reading off the top salaries in AMERICA... did you know there are a few hedge fund managers who make roughly 5 billion , 4 billion and 2.5 billion a year respectively as their own personal take home pay? the guy makign 5 billion would say take home 2.5 after taxes.... that means he earns a net of 208 million per month or 6.7 million a day. It is impossible to buy 6.7 million dollars worth of goods and services a day for selfish personal consumption as per the "Dori" model... a sane person would have to move toward charitablle foundations as a means of disposing of this money...
Posted by: Tommy008 | April 09, 2010 at 05:59 AM
Not only did Walmart put a SuperStore in Clarkston, there is a rather large Costco right next to it! Lewiston didn't get either.
Lewiston does have the Clearwater River Casino (Nez Perce).
I wonder if either will be anticipating a move across the river.
Posted by: Charpy | April 09, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Breaking News: Idaho loses another one
It’s official: Moscow Walmart to close
April 12, 2010, 12:39 pm
Walmart Spokesman Josh Phair said the company has decided to close its Moscow location this fall in conjunction with the opening of the Pullman super center, which is currently under construction.
The 225-250 employees at Moscow Walmart will be transferred to the new Pullman site, but Phair said he was unsure whether employees will have to go through the interview process again.
“We wanted to ensure to our associates that whatever happens to our Moscow site that they knew that their jobs are secure,” Phair said. “So the plan is to relocate the store including all the associates.
Phair said Walmart executives will decide in the coming months whether the Moscow site will be closed indefinitely or open again at a later date. Phair was unaware of any re-openings Walmart has had in the past.
Walmart leaders also are considering the option of selling the Moscow building once it is closed.
“That’s certainly one of the scenarios,” Phair said. “Like I said, nothing’s been really decided as you know, but that’s one of the options on the table.”
The Moscow store is slated for closure on the day the Pullman super center opens. With the Moscow staff already lined up for the Pullman location’s positions, Walmart will hire about 100 new employees, rather than the 300 — 350 they previously intended on hiring.
Visit DNews.com or see Tuesday’s edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News for more on this story.
Posted by: RR | April 13, 2010 at 06:44 AM
AAAALLLLLright! The Idaho Governor's preaching about the business world being so much better in their state is seemingly having a reverse effect.
Let's face it folks; we live in one of the most desirable places on this planet. Idaho can only 'wish' they had similar to offer and enjoy. Roll-On Washington!!!
Posted by: Duffman | April 13, 2010 at 07:05 AM
Reality has never seemed important to Monson.
Hear that new (I think it's cabinets) commercial? It sounds like the audio to one of those al qaeda hostage videos. I can picture Monson and his little girls holding machine guns to that poor bastard's head. READ IT OR DIE!
Posted by: Medved | April 16, 2010 at 10:26 AM