There’s a certain kind of arrogance unique to politicians who insult the people paying the bills, then act shocked when the lights go out. It’s the calling card of progressive governance — tax everything that moves, demonize anyone who succeeds, and scratch your heads when the city starts circling the drain. You’d think they’d learn. They never do.
We’ve watched this movie before. California wrote the script. New York produced the sequel. And now Washington state — long a haven for entrepreneurs thanks to its lack of an income tax — has decided it wants a starring role.
In March, Washington Democrats passed the so-called “millionaires tax,” the state’s first-ever income tax, and Governor Bob Ferguson signed it into law on March 30. The bill was championed by progressives and socialists in the legislature, and its sponsor, State Senator Jamie Pedersen, hasn’t been coy about what comes next — he’s said openly that he intends to expand the tax to everyone. The Wall Street Journal editorial board called the whole scheme a “con” that will “inevitably capture the middle class.” And keep in mind, Seattle already has the highest combined state and local sales tax rate in the country at 10.35%. This isn’t filling a gap. It’s piling on.
The exodus begins
Jesse Proudman has been building companies in Washington for 28 years. He started his first business at 13. Venice.AI, a privacy-focused generative AI platform, is his third startup. He’s exactly the kind of person a sane city would fight to keep. Instead, Seattle is showing him the door.
Proudman told Fox News Digital that his team is actively scouting Nevada, Texas, Nashville, and Florida — states where government encourages entrepreneurship rather than punishing it. He described a culture that shifted dramatically over the past five years, from celebrating people who build something from nothing to treating success like a moral failing.
From Fox News:
The reality is everybody that I know that has means to leave has either left or is in the process of leaving. They’ve listed their homes, they’re shopping elsewhere. And again, it’s like, you don’t want to be where you’re not part of the community, where it doesn’t feel like you’re welcome.
And how did Seattle’s leadership respond? Mayor Katie Wilson — a self-described democratic socialist — laughed. At a Seattle University event, she literally waved goodbye to departing millionaires: “The ones that leave, like, bye.” Let that sink in. The person whose job is to build a vibrant city, mocking the people who created its jobs and funded its tax base. Proudman compared it to Elon Musk leaving California: “You’re not wanted, you’ll move to a climate where you are.”
Blue cities, hollow victories
I’ve watched this pattern play out for years now, and honestly, how many times do we have to see it before the lesson sticks? Capital is mobile. Talent is mobile. The people who build things don’t have to sit there and take it. When you combine punitive taxation with open contempt for the people generating your city’s wealth, you’re not building a workers’ paradise — you’re building a ghost town with good branding.
Blue cities squeeze. Productive citizens leave. Red states absorb the talent, the investment, the energy. Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Nevada aren’t winning because of luck. They’re winning because they grasp something basic that progressive politicians apparently can’t: you don’t grow a community by vilifying the people who make it run.
But here’s the part I really want to say. To every red-state American watching this migration with a mix of satisfaction and unease — trust that instinct. Welcome the entrepreneurs. Welcome the families looking for sanity and lower taxes and a government that leaves them alone. But pay close attention to what follows. The policies that wrecked Seattle and San Francisco and Chicago didn’t arrive by accident. They were voted in — by the same people who then fled the consequences.
So leave the light on. Just make sure the welcome mat comes with terms.
Key Takeaways
- Washington Democrats passed the state’s first-ever income tax and openly plan to expand it to everyone.
- Seattle entrepreneurs are fleeing to red states where success is celebrated, not punished.
- Seattle’s socialist mayor laughed at departing millionaires — her city will pay the price.
- Red states should welcome the refugees but firmly reject the failed policies they’re escaping.
The post Seattle AI Founder Says ‘Everybody I Know’ Is Leaving Washington State as New Millionaires Tax Takes Effect appeared first on Patriot Journal.
