Here is a lesson that this woman, and sadly the city itself, is going to have to learn the hard way.
Seattle’s new socialist mayor, Katie Wilson, recently gave voters a preview of how governing by ideology usually works. Asked about the possibility of millionaires leaving the city over higher taxes, Wilson reportedly laughed, shrugged, and said, “Bye!” Nothing says economic strategy quite like waving farewell to the people paying a giant share of the bills.
Seattle, like many cities under progressive management, is chasing the familiar dream of soaking the rich to fund an ever-expanding menu of government promises. The sales pitch never changes. Everything can be “free,” public spending can grow forever, and only a tiny group of wealthy people will notice the cost. Then reality arrives carrying a moving truck.
History has shown repeatedly that high earners, investors, and business owners are not potted plants. They can move. They do move. And when they leave, they often take jobs, charitable giving, and tax revenue with them.
Mayor Wilson appears unconcerned. That confidence may not age well.
Already, there are signs that major employers are reconsidering their future in the city. Starbucks, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic success stories, is reportedly signaling interest in expanding elsewhere, with Nashville mentioned as a possible destination. Boeing moved its headquarters years ago. Amazon has split operations and diversified beyond Seattle. These are not random mom-and-pop shops. These are economic engines.
Perhaps the most telling criticism comes from Nick Hanauer, a billionaire who spent years funding progressive economic causes. Hanauer backed Seattle’s $15 minimum wage push, supported Washington’s capital gains tax, and championed the idea that the wealthy should pay more. He was not some anti-tax crusader. He was one of the architects of the very framework now in place.
And yet even Hanauer has warned that Washington’s new income tax approach is “a catastrophe,” saying virtually every wealthy friend he knows has either left or plans to leave.
That should set off alarms. When the people who designed the machine start warning it is overheating, maybe check the gauges.
Progressives often talk as if wealth simply exists in fixed piles waiting to be redistributed. But wealth creation depends on incentives, confidence, investment, and stability. Punish success enough, and success starts shopping for another zip code.
Of course, defenders of these policies will say the rich are replaceable and that fairness matters more than tax competition. Fine sentiment. But fairness does not pave roads, fund schools, or close budget gaps. Revenue does.
Seattle has world-class talent, natural beauty, and major companies that helped build one of America’s strongest regional economies. Squandering that advantage through smug class-war politics would be a remarkable act of self-sabotage.
Wilson’s “Bye!” line may earn applause at activist rallies. It may even trend online. But if the tax base shrinks, services decline, and employers keep looking elsewhere, voters may eventually have a different word in mind.
Goodbye.
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