Well, 'proof' may be overstating it. Maybe 'confirmation' would be more precise.

What would you NOT do, if you were trying to help working people? If you answered 'try not to put them out of a job' you win a cookie.

Bernie wants to have Amazon fire any of their employees who supplement their income with governmental assistance.

Well, 'wants' would grant him the ability to foresee obvious consequences...he has shown none of that skill to date, but life is long... Let us say he proposes introduction of a law that would guarantee it.

In case you doubt me: Seattle Times: Amazon fires back at Bernie Sanders

quote:

Sanders had recently posted a request online for Amazon workers to share their experience at the company and asked them to highlight in particular whether they had to use public assistance while on Amazon’s payroll. The senator plans to introduce a bill soon that would tax large employers like Amazon a sum equal to the value of the federal assistance — like food stamps, public housing and Medicaid — that their employees receive

That's right. He wants to make those workers on the edge more expensive to hire than other workers...to help them, he says.

Two questions come to mind:

1) Anyone want to guess what math/economics says about how long those people remain employed?

2) Are they going to be better off with the part time/entry level job they currently have, or without that job, after Bernie's 'help'?

I agree with Bernie!

Companies owned by leftists should practice what they preach. Time to start spreading that wealth.

Sorry, but Sanders' proposal confuses me. He wants to tax Amazon equal to the federal assistance some of its low income employees are using. So these employees incomes and lot in life wouldn't change under this law, but the government would have an opportunity to extort additional funds from Amazon? Am I reading this right? Seems a bit shall we say, stupid to me, which is exactly what I've come to expect from the Bern.

Despite my love for Amazon deals I almost feel where the Bern is going with this. Amazon (in particular) holds city councils over the coals to attract their business, they lobby extensively and they've frankly destroyed a lot of small businesses with questionable business practices. They have teams of tax gurus only there to exploit tax loopholes. Years of being unprofitable. Without their web services they'd be running a sinking ship or breaking even!!! And yet we let them continue to disrupt our norms for the betterment of a few, shall I say, a-holes. I'm guilty for fueling this...no doubt...yet I'm starting to come to the realization (maybe too late) that we've created a big monster.

If Amazon can get tax incentives that benefit them, I can see some logic in taking those back (e.g. through taxation) for not paying folks a living wage. Problem is like bigdeal said, this is an ass-backwards way of doing it. We've dug ourselves such a deep pile of shit to clean up.

AMZN was up $65.28 today. I'm a fan.

I actually agree in part with Crazy Uncle Bernie on this. The only reason that Amazon can entice people to come work for them at such a low wage is because they can foist off the cost of benefits to the American taxpayer, all while enjoying huge tax incentives and raking in record profits. I don't know that I would go about achieving the results the same way but I would definitely support eliminating tax incentives and similar deals for companies that foist their benefit costs upon the taxpayers.

Of course I'd rather the government just get out of the business of providing benefits like Medicaid altogether. Since we know that won't happen though, we ought to at least minimize the extent to which the largest of companies, and generally only the large companies, can benefit from these policies.

Walmart, Amazon, and many companies LOVE having us taxpayers (effectively) pay part of their payroll/benefits. And it's absurd, because they absolutely can afford to pay it all themselves, but they know they don't have to. And it should end.

Irrespective of Bernie... as I'm no fan of his.

But I'm sick of paying more taxes so that the Waltons and Bezos can get even wealthier.

Sorry, I don't buy the logic. Companies are under no obligation to provide benefits. Some do, especially if they want to attract better employees. Some employers dont care. They want bodies as cheaply as possible, and they can find people willing to work for what they're willing to pay. The government decides, completely independently, to give certain subsets of the population certain benefits. Because this population overlaps, some members of the government thinks it's now the obligation of company to pay for those benefits. Sorry, no sale.

On the other point, local governments give big employers tax and other benefits because they want the jobs and economic benefits the employers create. The employers can usually put the jobs anywhere, know what the jobs are worth, and negotiate with the localities to recapture some of that value. If the localities don't think a deal is worthwhile, they don't have to make it.

Make companies compete on a level playing field. This should be government policy.

Funny how the 1 man who's actually run a business actually knows how business is run- Donald Trump the results speak for themselves.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Make companies compete on a level playing field. This should be government policy.

That could be best accomplished by keeping government completely out of meddling in business. And the meddling I'm talking about is all the tax breaks and incentives companies get. Make them 'all' live without any taxpayer funded welfare. But that's a pipe dream given that would remove the opportunity for politicians to fill their coffers (and their pockets) with corporate cash.

Where would Tesla and Amazon be if the government stayed out of the market place? Would they have been able to lose Billion$ for years and still survive?

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Where would Tesla and Amazon be if the government stayed out of the market place? Would they have been able to lose Billion$ for years and still survive?

Same place as Solyndra. A bankrupt company in the history books. Though without Solyndra, a lot of Dhim pols would have had lighter wallets and slush "campaign" funds.

If people want to work at a job that have no benefits and lower pay that is their choice.
Why they should be able to apply for government assistance because of their choice confuses me.
The other day I watched a woman buy 6 bottles of wine and snack's for $77.00 dollars with her credit card than pay for grocery's with what looked like her food stamp card. I can not be 100 percent sure if that is what she truly did but I have seen this done by other people many times in the past where I could see it was a food stamp card they were using.
If Amazon or any other company's do not want to pay it's employs benefits that is their choice. If people want to work there for the pay with no benefits it is their choice.
If enough people decided not to work for these companies then the companies would have to offer better pay and benefits to attract the people it needs.
I don't understand how governments give away incentives to bring these big companies to their towns. To me it creates an un level playing field to all business.
By the way I am guilt of buying from some of these big on line companies all the time. They have a distribution centers near my house so I can get what I ordered within 1 to 2 days and it saves me money.



This is what I posted in the Sig forum thread "1-in-3 Amazon employees are on food stamps in Arizona"

At the age of 12/13 I wanted things so my father said go get a job.
Now being 12/13 I was not going to find to much other than cutting the neighbors grass and shoveling snow in the winter.
So that is how I started.
At he age of 14 I started working washing dishes and pots and pans at a restaurant."You know the jobs most Americans don't want to do"
At 17 I was a busboy."You know the jobs most Americans don't want to do"
My first real job was At 18 working for an electrical supply house.
When I was ready to move out on my own My one job was not enough, so guess what I got a part time job.
At 23 I was getting married and buying my first house, guess what, now I had a full time job and two part time jobs.
At some point ( while still working my full time job) I quit my two part time jobs and got a part time job with better pay and still worked full time.
The point I am trying to make, when ever I needed more money to live I would work more. I don't think the Idea of collecting food stamp's or welfare ever entered my mind.
Now a days when I hear a young person or any one tell me they don't make enough money I ask ( what do you do for a part time job or do you work overtime at your job) most just look at me with a blank stare then tell me they don't. When I ask why not they tell met they don't have the time.
Up until a few years ago it was not uncommon for me to be working 50 to 60 hours a week on a regular basis. Back in the 90s 70 or more hours a week was a normal work week on top of being an active volunteer firefighter.
I know their are people that need the help from the system, that is what it is for.
The government system was never meant to become a way of life. It was meant to be a hand up not a hand out.
Unfortunately this is what it has become for many people.
Blaming big or small business for their employees being on food stamps regardless of how much the CEO or owner makes is irrelevant.
If people don't like what they are making at their job, find a better paying job or take a chance with their life savings and start their own business.

He’s not crazy. He’s a communist and, therefore, evil.

The only way anybody should be for this crazy idea is if you think undereducated people should be making $18/ hour. There are careers, such as primary education, that require a minimum 4 year degree and start you at $34,000. Charlotte is getting a new Amazon distribution center, and with the documents filed, the average pay per hour (exclusive of stock, health care, etc.) Was 11.91, and with it was $15 and change.

Secondly, the SNAP program is bloated and abused. How we have more people on SNAP now than we did in 2006 (pre-recession), when we have lower unemployment, and higher MHI is unknown. I have seen it abused all the time.

It is time personal decisions have an effect on peoples life. You want to have 4 kids, and not work, you should not be subsidized for being lazy and a hoe.

Sorry Bernie, you can't pay people without a degree more than those with a degree.

I used to get a kick out of reading all this BS about how so many people are living on the gubbermint tit. Knowing how I grew up and all those part time jobs I had while working more than full time.

Here is a tip for those who think they have it so bad. Get a fucking job! Oh, you already have one but it does not pay enough? Change jobs, or simply get an additional one.

I have worked my entire life, starting at age 12. I lived at home and paid room and board to supplement family income.

I worked part time jobs while in the army because the pay was not enough to support my 3 member family.

I go into stores around here and see certain ethnic people pull out EBT cards to pay for those items covered by our money. Then they pull out WADS of $100 bills to pay for the stuff not covered by EBT.

I see those same people leave the stores, climb into one of those 60-70K pickup trucks with all the fancy shit that be attached to them.

It no longer pisses me off when I see that stuff. They are simply taking advantage of the corrupt politicraPs who pass these laws to help insure that they get sent back to those very lucrative gubbermint jobs.

Getting ulcers over something that I obviously cannot change quit making sense some time ago.

Bernie is just another commie asshole who makes his living pandering to the free shit crowd.

Society has changed a great deal in the last 50 years. There was a time people were embarrassed to be seen using food stamps or for it to be known they were on government assistance. Back in the day food stamps use to come in a book like stamps and you had to tear away each one until you had the right amount to pay. People would be embarrassed knowing every one in line was watching them fumble with food stamps.

Then, for most people the shame wasn't needed as they truly in most cases needed the assistance. Now food stamps look like a regular Visa card. Today there is no shame because the pride of working and supporting your family has been removed. It's been replaced with why work when I can let other people support me and my family.

What I find surprising is that these people working at Amazon are working at all being they are on assistance.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Walmart, Amazon, and many companies LOVE having us taxpayers (effectively) pay part of their payroll/benefits. And it's absurd, because they absolutely can afford to pay it all themselves, but they know they don't have to. And it should end.

Irrespective of Bernie... as I'm no fan of his.

But I'm sick of paying more taxes so that the Waltons and Bezos can get even wealthier.

when I was in the grocery business, I managed a store for 4 yrs in the hood,

I had some employees that filed for food stamps and welfare ,

they said it was because we (union shop, payrate limited by the employees union) were not paying enough,

so I or my admin would have to fill out some paperwork for the employee to turn in,

seems most were not working many hours, simply because they chose not to,

as in I want 40 hrs of pay, but I am only available from 10a till 4pm, and no weekends, cause I gotz stuff to do,


about half managed to get it, despite the fact that I put the restricted, but employee choice, availability,

also found out later that the local minority churches were having classes to help teach the folks how to milk and work the system,
taught by Gov't minority employees that worked in those departments,

I'm with you on Tesla (and all of Musk's ventures because they seem aimed at markets that get a lot of government subsidies)

But your wrong on Amazon. They made $3 billion last year, and make $2.5 Billion last quarter alone. So, no, they're not losing money.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Where would Tesla and Amazon be if the government stayed out of the market place? Would they have been able to lose Billion$ for years and still survive?

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Sorry, but Sanders' proposal confuses me. He wants to tax Amazon equal to the federal assistance some of its low income employees are using. So these employees incomes and lot in life wouldn't change under this law, but the government would have an opportunity to extort additional funds from Amazon? Am I reading this right? Seems a bit shall we say, stupid to me, which is exactly what I've come to expect from the Bern.

Nobody likes the person who loudly proclaims how the magic trick is done. Don't spoil it for the rest of us. LOL