One of the reasons I'm proud to work for Washington Policy Center is that it recognizes costs matter. It sounds basic, but there is an attitude amongst too many in policy circles that there is little consequence to the constant addition to expenses.

A new payroll tax? It's "only" pennies on the dollar! Of course, the problem is that dollars are merely pennies accumulated and dollars lost are merely accumlated pennies.  Just as life is lived in the small moments, little expenses add up to big things. 

This latest report on the lack of affordability in Seattle is a reminder that when you add an expense -- directly or indirectly -- it's added to everything that came before it.  Before a new expense is added, one should consider removing the old ones. 

WPC takes the issue of affordability seriously and looks at costs vs. benefits -- a perspective that is ignored a shocking amount of the time. If an expense is proposed in order to signal virtue rather than achieve a commensurate level of benefit, it should be clear reason to withdraw the proposal.  Politics doesn't usually work that way of course, but long before I joined WPC, I was proud of how researches there so often provide that kind of key information so that the public is fully informed and has the option to hold office holders accountable. 

KOMO TV covered a new study that concluded a $100K salary in seattle will bring you about $49,000 worth of take-home pay. Of the 76 cities examined, Seattle ranked 67th.  This too should be a wake up call.  In a time when working remotely is easier than ever, there were plenty of cities that offered opportunities to bring home far more of what they earn.