Amazon HQ2 and other news
Comments
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If you liquidated Bezos's entire net worth and redistributed it evenly amongst Americans, each person would get $300. Distribute it amongst everyone in the world and it's about $15. There's a problem with scale when people get all red-assed over billionaires.
The power and influence that comes with wealth, though, can certainly be a problem. If we want to solve that, it's about decentralizing power and influence so there's little to be bought. Just using the force of the state to rob someone has no impact on the actual problem.0 -
pjl44 said:If you liquidated Bezos's entire net worth and redistributed it evenly amongst Americans, each person would get $300. Distribute it amongst everyone in the world and it's about $15. There's a problem with scale when people get all red-assed over billionaires.
The power and influence that comes with wealth, though, can certainly be a problem. If we want to solve that, it's about decentralizing power and influence so there's little to be bought. Just using the force of the state to rob someone has no impact on the actual problem.
You're confusing net worth with income, so the whole point is moot anyhow.
Counterpoint: redistributing income has a direct positive impact on homelessness, hunger, poverty community health and infant mortality rates.0 -
CM189191 said:pjl44 said:If you liquidated Bezos's entire net worth and redistributed it evenly amongst Americans, each person would get $300. Distribute it amongst everyone in the world and it's about $15. There's a problem with scale when people get all red-assed over billionaires.
The power and influence that comes with wealth, though, can certainly be a problem. If we want to solve that, it's about decentralizing power and influence so there's little to be bought. Just using the force of the state to rob someone has no impact on the actual problem.
You're confusing net worth with income, so the whole point is moot anyhow.
Counterpoint: redistributing income has a direct positive impact on homelessness, hunger, poverty community health and infant mortality rates.0 -
CM189191 said:pjl44 said:If you liquidated Bezos's entire net worth and redistributed it evenly amongst Americans, each person would get $300. Distribute it amongst everyone in the world and it's about $15. There's a problem with scale when people get all red-assed over billionaires.
The power and influence that comes with wealth, though, can certainly be a problem. If we want to solve that, it's about decentralizing power and influence so there's little to be bought. Just using the force of the state to rob someone has no impact on the actual problem.
You're confusing net worth with income, so the whole point is moot anyhow.
Counterpoint: redistributing income has a direct positive impact on homelessness, hunger, poverty community health and infant mortality rates.0 -
mrussel1 said:CM189191 said:pjl44 said:If you liquidated Bezos's entire net worth and redistributed it evenly amongst Americans, each person would get $300. Distribute it amongst everyone in the world and it's about $15. There's a problem with scale when people get all red-assed over billionaires.
The power and influence that comes with wealth, though, can certainly be a problem. If we want to solve that, it's about decentralizing power and influence so there's little to be bought. Just using the force of the state to rob someone has no impact on the actual problem.
You're confusing net worth with income, so the whole point is moot anyhow.
Counterpoint: redistributing income has a direct positive impact on homelessness, hunger, poverty community health and infant mortality rates.0 -
mrussel1 said:CM189191 said:pjl44 said:If you liquidated Bezos's entire net worth and redistributed it evenly amongst Americans, each person would get $300. Distribute it amongst everyone in the world and it's about $15. There's a problem with scale when people get all red-assed over billionaires.
The power and influence that comes with wealth, though, can certainly be a problem. If we want to solve that, it's about decentralizing power and influence so there's little to be bought. Just using the force of the state to rob someone has no impact on the actual problem.
You're confusing net worth with income, so the whole point is moot anyhow.
Counterpoint: redistributing income has a direct positive impact on homelessness, hunger, poverty community health and infant mortality rates.
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cincybearcat said:PJ_Soul said:mrussel1 said:Halifax2TheMax said:mrussel1 said:Halifax2TheMax said:mrussel1 said:dignin said:mrussel1 said:my2hands said:I've flipped on this...
Fuck Amazon and the rest of these corporate welfare bloodsuckers
Getting governments to slit their own throats to undercut other governments. I don't blame Amazon for being immoral here and not paying their fair share. Most large companies do this. It's the governments fault for letting it get to this. At some point they all need to stand up to these corporations.
And also, Amazon has a terrible track record with how they treat their employees who work in their warehouses. So fuck them for that too.
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dignin said:cincybearcat said:bootlegger10 said:cincybearcat said:Interesting thing I read... Bill Gates didn’t start his foundation and all his giving until after leaving Microsoft.
People love to talk about how great Gates is....and he seems to do a lot of good work. They’ve compared Bezos to Gates here. But are they that different st this point? Maybe when Bezos leaves amazon he will do the same with all that $.
I guess we will wait and see.
is it actually better for the government to gain all that wealth?hippiemom = goodness0 -
dignin said:mrussel1 said:CM189191 said:pjl44 said:If you liquidated Bezos's entire net worth and redistributed it evenly amongst Americans, each person would get $300. Distribute it amongst everyone in the world and it's about $15. There's a problem with scale when people get all red-assed over billionaires.
The power and influence that comes with wealth, though, can certainly be a problem. If we want to solve that, it's about decentralizing power and influence so there's little to be bought. Just using the force of the state to rob someone has no impact on the actual problem.
You're confusing net worth with income, so the whole point is moot anyhow.
Counterpoint: redistributing income has a direct positive impact on homelessness, hunger, poverty community health and infant mortality rates.
My statement is not an indictment of progressive tax system, which I fully support, but there's a limit. Don't ignore the 50 year economic disaster of Russia.0 -
CM189191 said:cincybearcat said:CM189191 said:cincybearcat said:bootlegger10 said:cincybearcat said:Interesting thing I read... Bill Gates didn’t start his foundation and all his giving until after leaving Microsoft.
People love to talk about how great Gates is....and he seems to do a lot of good work. They’ve compared Bezos to Gates here. But are they that different st this point? Maybe when Bezos leaves amazon he will do the same with all that $.
I guess we will wait and see.
is it actually better for the government to gain all that wealth?
Good ideas, taking risks, and work ethic are not correlated with success.
Being born rich, white, and male is. Having a lack of morals helps too.
The US economy no longer rewards hard work.
I do understand the concern of huge $ passed on to future generations...and they have sometime done little to now work. But you would have the government take all that $?hippiemom = goodness0 -
Perhaps the estate tax can be a reward for the teachers or the non-profit employees who don't make much money but have an impact on people just as much as any CEO has. The CEO gets more income and has more toys during their life but when all is said and done the CEO gives back a big chunk when they die to the people so the teachers and the non-profits have more resources to work with.
No one is arguing for communism, but arguing to improve a capitalist system that results in a obscene transfer of wealth from the poor/middle class to the super wealthy. And the gap is only going to grow as processes become less labor intensive.
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pjl44 said:If you liquidated Bezos's entire net worth and redistributed it evenly amongst Americans, each person would get $300. Distribute it amongst everyone in the world and it's about $15. There's a problem with scale when people get all red-assed over billionaires.
The power and influence that comes with wealth, though, can certainly be a problem. If we want to solve that, it's about decentralizing power and influence so there's little to be bought. Just using the force of the state to rob someone has no impact on the actual problem.CNBC reported a stat that the top 10% of adults own 85% of the world's wealth. That's a problem.
For example, say a diamond mine may have been purchased by a family (or stolen, who knows) 200 years ago. The people in that town/region may be poor but that diamond mine benefits them very little because of something that happened 200 years ago. You have this great resource in your backyard but some rich family in Europe has 28 houses all over the world because of it. There has to be a limit to how long that mass hoarding of wealth can take place.
Post edited by bootlegger10 on0 -
It’s a hell of a lot more obscene that the Kardashian’s and Jenner’s are rich as fuck than it is that gates and bezos. They add zero value and have no discernible talents0
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bootlegger10 said:
Perhaps the estate tax can be a reward for the teachers or the non-profit employees who don't make much money but have an impact on people just as much as any CEO has. The CEO gets more income and has more toys during their life but when all is said and done the CEO gives back a big chunk when they die to the people so the teachers and the non-profits have more resources to work with.
No one is arguing for communism, but arguing to improve a capitalist system that results in a obscene transfer of wealth from the poor/middle class to the super wealthy. And the gap is only going to grow as processes become less labor intensive.
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mrussel1 said:bootlegger10 said:
Perhaps the estate tax can be a reward for the teachers or the non-profit employees who don't make much money but have an impact on people just as much as any CEO has. The CEO gets more income and has more toys during their life but when all is said and done the CEO gives back a big chunk when they die to the people so the teachers and the non-profits have more resources to work with.
No one is arguing for communism, but arguing to improve a capitalist system that results in a obscene transfer of wealth from the poor/middle class to the super wealthy. And the gap is only going to grow as processes become less labor intensive.
For sure. Like I said it is complicated. You don't want to take a successful family business from the next generation who is running it well and then the government runs it into the ground. Jobs exist because of business owners so I'm not arguing against them. At some point though the reward to the business owner is probably more than it should be. Congrats, you had a great idea. That doesn't mean you should be able to buy three small islands in the Carribean. "Oh, you worked 60 hours a week and so you think you should get two towers in Manhattan? Lots of people work hard."0 -
bootlegger10 said:
Perhaps the estate tax can be a reward for the teachers or the non-profit employees who don't make much money but have an impact on people just as much as any CEO has. The CEO gets more income and has more toys during their life but when all is said and done the CEO gives back a big chunk when they die to the people so the teachers and the non-profits have more resources to work with.
No one is arguing for communism, but arguing to improve a capitalist system that results in a obscene transfer of wealth from the poor/middle class to the super wealthy. And the gap is only going to grow as processes become less labor intensive.
hippiemom = goodness0 -
Halifax2TheMax said:mrussel1 said:Halifax2TheMax said:It also seems like the discussion of non-interference with a potential unionization effort of the Long Island warehouse/distribution center was an issue. It wasn’t all about the HQ but rather all of the ancillary issues, as well as the arrogance exhibited by Amazon executives in that they hired no locals to negotiate in NYC.
Kind of reminds me of being in Seattle in 2013 for Pearl Jam and how the locals had so much swagger because of their super bowl victory, how cocky they all were. Well, we all know what happened the following year ( Malcolm Butler). Guess Bezos and Amazon ought to learn how to “play the game?” Or be petulant like Team Trump Treason. And guess what? LIC will be fine.
Hired no locals to negotiate?? What is that... greasing palms? Why would they need "consultants"? That's corrupt NY politics.
This is expecting a lot of ethical behaviour from corporations, in addition to asking CEOs to raise costs without tying that back to an eventual bottom line increase - ignoring fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders to not tank the stock prices. It's the responsibility of the government to form laws to produce fair and equitable for its citizens. It's the responsibility of the corporations to adhere to those laws - not to be their own ethical watchdogs.
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benjs said:Halifax2TheMax said:mrussel1 said:Halifax2TheMax said:It also seems like the discussion of non-interference with a potential unionization effort of the Long Island warehouse/distribution center was an issue. It wasn’t all about the HQ but rather all of the ancillary issues, as well as the arrogance exhibited by Amazon executives in that they hired no locals to negotiate in NYC.
Kind of reminds me of being in Seattle in 2013 for Pearl Jam and how the locals had so much swagger because of their super bowl victory, how cocky they all were. Well, we all know what happened the following year ( Malcolm Butler). Guess Bezos and Amazon ought to learn how to “play the game?” Or be petulant like Team Trump Treason. And guess what? LIC will be fine.
Hired no locals to negotiate?? What is that... greasing palms? Why would they need "consultants"? That's corrupt NY politics.
This is expecting a lot of ethical behaviour from corporations, in addition to asking CEOs to raise costs without tying that back to an eventual bottom line increase - ignoring fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders to not tank the stock prices. It's the responsibility of the government to form laws to produce fair and equitable for its citizens. It's the responsibility of the corporations to adhere to those laws - not to be their own ethical watchdogs.
I think you mentioned your family having 5 brick and mortar stores, right? Now let’s say your family decides to open a sixth store in an economically depressed part of town but the area needs some infrastructure improvements and you don’t quite have the financing for what it takes. I’d be supportive of your family receiving a similarly ratioed tax incentive/break as Amazon. But once you’ve reached the wealth attainment like amazon and Bezos, you’re on your own.
I’d also like to think as your family income increases, the pay of your employees would increase beyond the rate of inflation, or in the form of healthcare/retirement/education benefits or bonuses. Business schools need to reintroduce ethics and morals into the curriculum. The disparity in pay between workers and owners or ceos is what is obscene.
One example: caterpillar won a six year wage freeze from their union despite $37k in profits per employee. They have 55k employees who average $50k per year. That’s obscene.09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN; 05/04/2024 & 05/06/2024, Vancouver, BC; 05/10/2024, Portland, OR;
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benjs said:Halifax2TheMax said:mrussel1 said:Halifax2TheMax said:It also seems like the discussion of non-interference with a potential unionization effort of the Long Island warehouse/distribution center was an issue. It wasn’t all about the HQ but rather all of the ancillary issues, as well as the arrogance exhibited by Amazon executives in that they hired no locals to negotiate in NYC.
Kind of reminds me of being in Seattle in 2013 for Pearl Jam and how the locals had so much swagger because of their super bowl victory, how cocky they all were. Well, we all know what happened the following year ( Malcolm Butler). Guess Bezos and Amazon ought to learn how to “play the game?” Or be petulant like Team Trump Treason. And guess what? LIC will be fine.
Hired no locals to negotiate?? What is that... greasing palms? Why would they need "consultants"? That's corrupt NY politics.
This is expecting a lot of ethical behaviour from corporations, in addition to asking CEOs to raise costs without tying that back to an eventual bottom line increase - ignoring fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders to not tank the stock prices. It's the responsibility of the government to form laws to produce fair and equitable for its citizens. It's the responsibility of the corporations to adhere to those laws - not to be their own ethical watchdogs.You could just have easily said, "It's not obscene, it's greed". Bono (who is no fan of taxes, full disclosure) sang "What you thought was freedom was just greed". We get that public companies must build value for their shareholders. No one is arguing against that. But perhaps those shareholders have a higher estate tax when they pass away (hence your point on changing laws).
Perhaps the option is that the government does not get it but your favorite non-profit organization or foundation. Perhaps to keep the family business or family farm in the family there is a requirement when a generation passes that the portion of the value that would go to the government is transferred to a foundation so the company does not need to sell its assets to pay the estate tax but the foundation can use dividends to do some good for the community.
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Amazon is not 1st company asking for corporate welfare. Canada and the US regularly use tax dollars to subsidize the auto, 2008 ring a bell. I am no fan of corporate welfare, but the 10 billion or so GM got from Canada and Ontario benefited Canada economy to the tune of 108 billion in 10 years (GM's numbers that the Union did not dispute). And GM creates very little new jobs in Canada, as a matter of GM is closing a plant and has already moved another line to Mexico.
Seems like 3b is a small price to pay to secure 25000 jobs that will be in the New York area for decades to come. But politicians never really look at the big pictures. And if a few NY politicians egos are bruised, so what. Amazon's got the jobs. And as far as the unions go, who cares... business will always try to stop unionization. Honda and Toyota have kept the unions out of there Ontario operations. I paid union dues for 25 years, a huge waste of money unless of course, you had one foot out the door because of laziness and stupidity, then the union would spend like drunken sailors to keep those people.Give Peas A Chance…0
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