TESLA DECLINED TO COMMENT.
WE'RE WATCHING A MARKET DOWN 216
POINTS.
PEOPLE FEELING A LITTLE JITTERY
ABOUT RETAIL ISSUES.
>>> RETAIL GIANT AMAZON IS
QUESTIONING ITS FUTURE IN
SEATTLE.
I DON'T BLAME IT, BECAUSE THE
CITY COUNCIL PASSED A NEW TAX.
$275 PER WORKER FOR LARGEST
EPEMPLOYERS IN THE CITY.
THIS IS SPOUSED TO HELP THE
CITY'S HOMELESS PROBLEM.
THE NEWS COMES AS AMAZON PLANS
TO OPEN TWO MORE CASHIERLESS
STORES IN SAN FRANCISCO.
WE HAVE FORMER CKE RESTAURANT
CEO, AUTHOR OF THE BRAND NEW
BOOK, "CAPITALIST COMEBACK."
ANDY PUZDER.
ANDY, I WILL LET YOU GO BECAUSE
I KNOW YOU WILL HAVE A LOT TO
SAY ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
$275 A HEAD THEY'RE GOING TO
CHARGE EVERY ONE IN SEATTLE.
THAT TAX GOES TO DEAL WITH THE
HOMELESS PROBLEM.
YOUR REACTION, SIR?
>> I THINK THEY'RE FORGETTING
THESE FREE MARKET CAPITALIST
COMPANIES MADE AN INCREDIBLE
FORTUNES IN THE AMERICAN FREE
ENTERPRISE SYSTEM IS ARE IN
WASHINGTON FOR ONE OF THE
REASONS IS, THEY'RE IN
WASHINGTON IS THAT WASHINGTON
HAS NO STATE INCOME TAX.
NO STATE INCOME TAX.
YOU CAN'T HAVE A COUNTY OR CITY
TAX.
NOW THEY'RE TRYING TO PUT AS A
WAY TO GENERATE REVENUE FOR
THEIR SOCIALIST, PROGRESSIVE
POLICIES, BECAUSE THEY CAN'T,
THEY SPEND VERY INEFFICIENTLY,
THEY'RE NOT PUTTING A TAX ON
COMPANY LIKE AMAZON WITH 45,000
EMPLOYEES.
IF YOU PUT $275 TAX ON EVERY
EMPLOYEE THAT IS $12.4 MILLION
FOR YOUR BOTTOM LINE.
IF YOU MOVE TO A STATE LIKE
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, WE LOVE
BUSINESSES HERE, YOU WOULD SAVE
$12.4 MILLION TO THE BOTTOM LINE
MOVING OUT OF THE STATE.
TRISH: THAT IS REAL MON.
>> I IT IS REAL MONEY.
TRISH: WHAT IS THE $12 MILLION
FOR THE HOMELESS SITUATION GET
YOU ANYWAY IN SEATTLE?
IT IS ONCE AGAIN ANOTHER WEALTH
TRANSFER THAT WOULD PROBABLY
RAISE A WHOLE LOT OF EYEBROWS.
THIS IS A CITY, SEATTLE, HAS A
HISTORY OF THIS, ANDY.
WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
MINIMUM WAGE.
WHETHER YOU'RE SLAPPING A BIG
TAX ON BUSINESSES.
WHAT IS IT THAT THEY HAVE
AGAINST AN ECONOMY THAT
FUNCTIONS, ACTUAL BUSINESSES AND
CAPITAL ENTERPRISE?
>> THEY HAVE OUT AND OUT
SOCIALISTS ON YOUR CITY COUNCIL.
ONE IS A SOCIALIST ECONOMIC
PROFESSOR.
FOR SOME REASON THEY BELIEVE
THESE POLICIES THAT HAVE FAILED
ACROSS THE PLANET AS I DISCUSSED
IN THE BOOK FAILED EVERYWHERE
THEY HAVE BEEN TRIED MIGHT
SOMEHOW WORK IN SEATTLE.
IT IS INTERESTING, WHEN THE
MINIMUM WAGE WENT TO $15 AN HOUR
YOU DIDN'T HEAR AMAZON SAYING
ANYTHING ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
TAKING TOO MUCH MONEY OR
ANTI-BUSINESS, BECAUSE THEY
DON'T HAVE ANY MINIMUM WAGE
EMPLOYEES.
NOW IT IS THEIR OX BEING GORED,
THEY ARE, CHARGED $275 PER
EMPLOYEE.
THEY ARE OUT THERE COMPLAINING
THE CITY SPENDS MONEY
INEFFICIENTLY.
IT IS A GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT SPEND MONEY
INEFFICIENTLY.
THIS IS NOT A WAY TO SOLVE THE
HOMELESS PROBLEM, PUTTING MONEY
IN THE HANDS, MORE MONEY IN THE
HANDS OF PEOPLE ALREADY SPENDING
IT POORLY.
WHAT WE NEED, THERE ARE
LEGITIMATE PERHAPS THAT CAN HELP
THE HOMELESS.
MAYBE SEATTLE SHOULD ASK WHY IT
HAS SO MANY HOMELESS PEOPLE IN
THE FIRST PLACE.
ONCE YOU ACCEPT THE FACT THAT
YOU HAVE GOT HOPELESS PEOPLE,
YOU NEED REAL POLICIES.
YOU DON'T NEED TO BE POURING
MORE MONEY INTO GOVERNMENT THAT
YOU TAKE FROM BUSINESSES THAT
EMPLOYING PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN
YOUR CITY.
IT US ABSURD.
TRISH: YOU KNOW, THIS IS, I
GUESS IT'S NICE TO THINK LIKE
THAT RIGHT, SOME KIND OF
UTOPIA-LIKE WORLD.
NONE OF US HAVE ANY
SELF-INTEREST.
NONE OF US CARE.
WE'RE HAPPY TO GO TO WORK TO
GIVE IT ALL TO UNCLE SAM, SO HE,
THE GOVERNMENT THAT IS, CAN
REDISTRIBUTE IT TO EVERY ONE
ELSE.
BUT THOSE OF US THAT ARE
WORKING, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO
FEEL THAT WAY.
FUNDAMENTALLY, I REALLY DON'T
THINK ANYBODY FEELS THAT WAY.
THAT IS PERHAPS WHAT SOME CITY
COUNCIL MEMBERS --
>> IT IS HARD TO BE THAT NAIVE.
TOUGH REALLY BE NAIVE TO THINK
ANY OF THIS IS GOING TO PRODUCE
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.
IN FACT, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
POLICIES THAT PROGRESSIVES,
DEMOCRATS, SOCIALISTS WHICH IS
ALMOST THE SAME TERM, BUT IF YOU
LOOK AT POLICIES THEY ARE
ADVANCING, THEY ARE NOT TO
GENERATE ECONOMIC GROWTH.
THEY DON'T TRY TO GENERATE
RISING ECONOMIC TIDE THAT
JOHN KENNEDY TALKED ABOUT, THAT
LIFTS EVERYBODY, LIFTS ALL
BOATS, THEY TO AFTER VOTES.
THEY WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE THINGS
THAT WILL CAUSE PEOPLE TO VOTE
FOR THEM.
LIKE OBAMACARE, LIKE INCREASING
TAXES ON THE WEALTHY OR ON THE
BUSINESSES IN THIS CASE TO BRING
MONEY INTO THE CITY, SO THEY GET
PEOPLE THEY GIVE MONEY TO VOTE.
THESE ARE NOT ECONOMIC PLANS.
THESE ARE POLITICAL PLANS.
THESE ARE PLANS THAT GENERATE
VOTES.
NOT TO GENERATE ECONOMIC GROWTH.
WE KNOW WHAT GENERATES ECONOMIC
GROWTH.
FREE MARKET CAPITALISM.
TRISH: FREE-MARKET CAPITALISM
DOESN'T NEED TO BE POLITICAL AS