Washington state Democrats are magicians! In the time it takes to say abracadabra, they made millions upon millions of dollars disappear just like that!
As if it weren’t bad enough that Seattle is under the reign of a communist mayor, statewide radical Democrats passed a bill masquerading as a “millionaire tax,” ushering in the state’s first-ever income tax.
As I reported in a recent West Coast, Messed Coast™ report, this “millionaire tax” was always going to change — POOF! — into a thousandaire income tax, and the Washington Policy Center has the email receipts.
But now, as night follows day, as thunder follows lightning, as FO follows FA, mere days after the most Washington-identified company this side of Microsoft — Starbucks — announced it was expanding some of its corporate and supply chain offices into Nashville and taking the jobs with them, comes another blow.
The guy who took Starbucks from a one-location coffee bean seller to a gargantuan, world wide concern, Howard Schultz, is leaving Seattle.
“His announcement came on the same day that the House in Washington approved a proposed [9.9%] income tax bill that would impact anyone living in the state who earns $1 million or more,” a real estate website reported. It also followed an open vow by the most radical governor ever seated in Olympia, Bob Ferguson, that he’d sign this monstrosity.
Realtor.com noted that Schultz and his wife, Sheri, purchased a penthouse at the “Surf Club, Four Seasons Private Residences, a luxurious building that overlooks the ocean,” which he got for a “steal” at $44 million.
Corruption: Watch This Shock Voter Fraud Video in California — Then Tell Your Senator to Pass the SAVE America Act
They join a number of billionaires who have bailed out of the ever-more communist West Coast, Messed Coast™, including former Seattleite Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, David Sacks, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sergey Brin. There will be others, as I’ve reported in Rich People Flee California With $1 Trillion Before Left’s Wealth Confiscation Plans Take Hold, ET Leaves Home: Steven Spielberg Is the Latest Billionaire to Leave California, and in a recent West Coast, Messed Coast™ column in an item about the Seahawks being for sale.
Florida, of course, has no income tax, just as Washington state has none — for at least a couple more minutes, anyway.
Wealthy California venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, who may move from California to Texas or Florida, in light of that state’s proposed “one time” “billionaire tax,” said that envy is no way to make public policy.
Here is what a tax like this does:
1) It excites people with zero agency and infinite envy. Beware of these people.
2) It will keep middle class people firmly in the middle class with no real chance of getting wealthy if they stay in Washington State. It should be clear that… https://t.co/9LIrqTMfyC
— Chamath Palihapitiya (@chamath) March 11, 2026
But Schultz, a guy who’s spent 44 years in one of the most beautiful states of America, couldn’t handle the charade anymore. Of course, he didn’t say it that way. He simply announced on LinkedIn that he was moving to Miami.
Howard Schultz bought a 5,500-square-foot penthouse in Miami like so many exiled multimillionaires and billionaires fleeing the West Coast, the Messed Coast™, and then said “Bye!” on LinkedIn.
His message looked back to all those years ago, in 1979, on their cross-country trip from New York City to Seattle, where his wife would be the family breadwinner. But now that they’re in their retirement phase of their lives, he said “we have moved to Miami for our next adventure together. We are enjoying the sunshine of South Florida and its allure to our kids on the East Coast as they raise families of their own.”
Not to mention the allure of getting away from the millionaire tax.
They’ve left their Schultz Family Foundation in the hands of “our dear friend Vivek Varma with a mandate to accelerate our philanthropic investments to drive meaningful change.” He added that his “private family office will move to Miami,[and] our Foundation will continue operations in Seattle.” So the Seattle charity class will still be able to wet their beaks on Howard Schultz’s largesse.
The former Starbucks CEO came close to discussing Olympia’s complete sell out to leftist chaos and dysfunction with this hopeful, yet vain hope:
It is our hope that Washington will remain a place for business and entrepreneurship to thrive, creating essential opportunity for those in Seattle and the surrounding areas.
“Remain”? That ship has sailed, just like Boeing, Amazon’s founder, and now the Starbucks billionaire.
Before he tapped out, Schultz thanked the city that welcomed him and his family all those years ago, one that, I’ll add, doesn’t exist anymore.
And then he closed:
Onward.
Sheri and Howard Schultz
And as night follows day, as thunder follows lightening, and as FO follows FA, Howard Schultz won’t be the last to say goodbye. Count on it.
We keep you informed about these crucial stories, but we couldn’t do it without our VIP Members.
Our VIP Members get the added benefit of being able to comment, read our stories in an ad-free environment, and take advantage of all of our VIP Member-exclusive stories, podcasts, and other goodies, we’ve got a great deal going!
Join the club! We’re offering a 60% off the regular VIP price right now!
Get exclusive content and support independent journalism with 60% off a PJ Media VIP membership. Use promo code FIGHT and join today!
