At the end of Ayn Rand's novel, Atlas Shrugged, the main characters are in an airplane, fleeing New York City, which is undergoing an economic collapse after the left took over and all of the producers fled. As they pass over the city, the lights go out; all of them, plunging the city into darkness. One of the protagonists, railroad mogul Dagny Taggart, sees this and says, "It's the end." The main character, inventor John Galt, corrects her: "No. It's the beginning."
Seattle's new socialist mayor, Katie Wilson, seems determined to replicate the ending from Ayn Rand's novel. Her lunatic policies have all of Seattle's wealthy fleeing, and her reaction is drawing some sharp criticism; she simply says, "Bye." She may as well say "bye" to any semblance of a decent economy in Seattle.
Katie Wilson, Seattle’s new self-proclaimed socialist mayor, sparked a social media firestorm after she gave her take on reports that millionaires are fleeing Washington state due to taxes and various far-left policies.
While speaking at a forum at Seattle University earlier this month, the new Democratic mayor said, "I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are like super overblown."
"And the ones that leave, like, bye," she continued, waving her hand and laughing. Though the line drew laughs and applause from those in the auditorium, it did not go over as well online, as conservatives quickly blasted the new Seattle mayor.
"Seattle's Socialist Mayor responds to exodus of wealth from Washington State by saying "BYE" ... then laughing. We're doomed," wrote Brandi Kruse.
Here, see for yourselves:
INSANE. Seattle's Socialist Mayor responds to exodus of wealth from Washington state by saying "BYE" ... then laughing. We're doomed. pic.twitter.com/gP8CbPkqEl
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) April 29, 2026
Let's face it, Seattle was doomed from the moment Katie Wilson took office on January 1st, which is, interestingly enough, the same day New York's communist Mayor Mamdani assumed that office. And, to be fair, it's not like Seattle wasn't already a mess. We travel (reluctantly) to Seattle once or twice a year so my wife can see a medical specialist there, and the city seems to be a little dirtier, a little more littered, and has a few more sprawling homeless enclaves every time. Oh, they're cleaning it up for the World Cup, but we all know that won't last.
Read More: Seattle's Homelessness and Open-Air Drug Use Crisis Now Exploding Under Socialism
A local news outlet, Seattle Red, at 770 AM on the radio dial, has some facts and figures from their talk show host and columnist, Jason Rantz.
A survey by the Association of Washington Businesses shouldn’t be laughed off. According to MyNorthwest, the number of businesses considering leaving Washington has nearly doubled since the millionaires’ tax was first introduced. And Washington’s housing market is already stalling, with active listings surging 29% year over year while closed sales barely moved. Experts say this is directly due to wealthy buyers disappearing from the market.
What will it take for cities like Seattle and New York to regain some sanity? Will Ayn Rand prove to have been prescient? Will Seattle have to collapse utterly before it can be saved? Will the last productive members of Seattle's economy see the lights of the city go out as they leave?
And, if so, will it be the beginning, or just the end?
One thing we can predict with great assurance is that Katie Wilson will be disastrous for Seattle's economy and for that city's residents.
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