I just read an article written by the Washington Post about Jeff Bezos donating "$100 million to Feeding America and up to $25 million for All in WA, a statewide relief effort in Washington". Now, my first though was 'it's great to see him financially contribute'. The author of the article, however, was critical of the Amazon CEO because he apparently didn't contribute enough, because, as they put it, it is only "the equivalent of donating $85" for the average American.
Since when do the rest of us decide how other people should spend their money? Is his donation not enough because some journalist hasn't approved it? I'm not a fan of Mr. Bezos, but this entitlement pisses me off.
[[washingtonpost.com]]
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4 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Maybe the fact that Amazon over the years has not paid taxes or less than the average American colors the way people think about Jeff Bezos.
HappyTrails2020
Level 6
June 8, 2020
1
Problem with ultra-rich people like Bezos is they will spend personal money for things that make them look good but try and get them to agree to a long term plan to help heal the society they have made ill and they will spend untold amounts of money to defeat it. Seattle's homeless has become a crises in large part due to the huge increase in home prices with the growth of Amazon. Ask large businesses like Amazon to contribute more in taxes to create affordable housing and they go nuts in proclaiming how they are being picked on. When I lived in Seattle mine was a middle class home in the western part of the city. After I left the tech boom hit and my home value and the accompanying property taxes wuld have hit the roof and it would have been a struggle to afford living there.
There is a fact of which most are unaware and that is growth costs. Too often the growth is born by the taxpayers not the industries.
JackPedigo
Level 9
June 5, 2020
1
Amazon's employees, at least the ones in warehouses, are treated like dirt and it's an absolute disgrace. A company with so much money and resources should at least strive to treat all of employees decently, not just the ones in higher up positions. What is also appalling is the fact that you've mentioned, the company has caused massive problems in housing in Seattle. When people are not able to afford basic necessities like shelter because of other's greed, it's disgusting. For those reasons, among many others, I dislike Bezos. Amazon as a business should absolutely contribute more in taxes.
But here, I felt the writer of the article went too far to suggest that a donation isn't enough because he has so much money. Could he give more? I'm sure he could. But that's on him to decide, it's his personal wealth. When it comes to his company and business practices, there's definitely room for improvement.
@HannaYou Unfortunately, the housing situations are often simply about supply and demand. In the end it is a population issue. However, the ultra tech world in Seattle has really exacerbated the cost of living issue.
I moved to Germany in the 70's. Fell in love with the Altstadt of Heidelberg but so did a lot of others and finding an apartment to rent was really, really hard. I got lucky and found a 300 year old building with a good sized empty space and made a deal with the owner and built my own apartment. The housing is not new but being priced out of one's own house is.
One gets the feeling that no matter what Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates or any other multimillionaire does in philanthropically donating, it will always be dismissed as not enough comparative to their wealth. This should be welcomed and praised, not denigrated, there are countless other extremely wealthy individuals who give next to nothing at all back.
Marionville
Level 10
June 5, 2020
1
Some of us see things differently. There is a huge difference between Gates and Bezos. William Gates Sr. (Bills father) was also wealthy but understood the need for the wealth to help the society in which they live. For many years he pushed a state income tax on the wealthy (incomes of over $2 million) and every year people like Bezos spent lots of money to defeat it. We still don't have a state income tax.
Somewhere I once read that the wealthy always look for ways to contribute that make them look good but, at the same time, defeat any long term plans that helps society and undercut their income even a little. Also, sometimes that money is gotten to help their future gains. For example Paul Allen (Bill Gates' partner) once bought the Seattle Football team. There was a vote to build a new stadium and the citizens were totally against a third stadium in the heart of the city. Allen spent $2 million on advertising for the stadium and it barely squeaked by with .5% of the vote. This was his team so he made a big profit.
@JackPedigo You have just proved my point perfectly!
That journalist is ungrateful...how much did he donate? That's a lot of money regardless of his net worth..
Cutiebeauty
Level 9
June 5, 2020
3
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