Amazon calls the socialists' bluff
Having recently retired as a contract negotiator (mainly large construction), I was surprised that Amazon chose to locate their HQ#3 in New York City. Having worked several projects in New York, I knew that it is a horribly hostile environment for outsiders. All of the contractors are both "connected" and crooked, local groups of "community activists" fight literally EVERYTHING with the secret agenda of profiting personally from the fight. Scores of local regulatory agencies make it their business to impede progress, make problems, and drag out simple issues indefinitely, just to make themselves feel important.Construction in NYC is at least three times more expensive than any other municipal area in the Western World, including London, regardless of how cost is measured.
I once worked a contract to tear a building down in New York. I got a bid for $40,000...then the City Guys got wind of it. NOOOOOOOOO, you can't just tear it down. You have to remove all the asbestos. You can't just remove the asbestos, you have to REINFORCE THE BUILDING to make is safe for the asbestos removal people; and you have to "bag" the building so that no asbestos gets into the atmosphere. And on and on. Cost two and a half million dollars to tear down that building.
For an orders-of-magnitude worse example, look up the Siemens project to rebuild the (Croton?) underground water treatment plant on Long Island. They lost hundreds of millions of dollars on a project that should have been profitable. They have done it other places all around the world without significant problems, but in NYC? They got their brains fucked out for YEARS.
New York is THE WORST place to build anything, and if you are not a local NEW YORK company, faggeddaboudit - they will fuck you blind. Amazon stock should rise significantly due to the money they will not lose on this poorly-considered decision.
This cancellation is great for everyone but the unlucky bastards living in New York who will be stuck with crappy jobs because of politicians who HAVE NEVER WORKED AN HONEST DAY IN THEIR LIVES.
You deserve it for living there.
Having recently retired as a contract negotiator (mainly large construction), I was surprised that Amazon chose to locate their HQ#3 in New York City. Having worked several projects in New York, I knew that it is a horribly hostile environment for outsiders. All of the contractors are both "connected" and crooked, local groups of "community activists" fight literally EVERYTHING with the secret agenda of profiting personally from the fight. Scores of local regulatory agencies make it their business to impede progress, make problems, and drag out simple issues indefinitely, just to make themselves feel important.Construction in NYC is at least three times more expensive than any other municipal area in the Western World, including London, regardless of how cost is measured.
I once worked a contract to tear a building down in New York. I got a bid for $40,000...then the City Guys got wind of it. NOOOOOOOOO, you can't just tear it down. You have to remove all the asbestos. You can't just remove the asbestos, you have to REINFORCE THE BUILDING to make is safe for the asbestos removal people; and you have to "bag" the building so that no asbestos gets into the atmosphere. And on and on. Cost two and a half million dollars to tear down that building.
For an orders-of-magnitude worse example, look up the Siemens project to rebuild the (Croton?) underground water treatment plant on Long Island. They lost hundreds of millions of dollars on a project that should have been profitable. They have done it other places all around the world without significant problems, but in NYC? They got their brains fucked out for YEARS.
New York is THE WORST place to build anything, and if you are not a local NEW YORK company, faggeddaboudit - they will fuck you blind. Amazon stock should rise significantly due to the money they will not lose on this poorly-considered decision.
This cancellation is great for everyone but the unlucky bastards living in New York who will be stuck with crappy jobs because of politicians who HAVE NEVER WORKED AN HONEST DAY IN THEIR LIVES.
You deserve it for living there.
