Thousands of Amazon employees receive food stamps. Bernie Sanders wants Amazon to pay up.

[untitled]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will soon introduce legislation that would require large employers like Amazon, Walmart and McDonald’s to fully cover the cost of food stamps, public housing, Medicaid and other federal assistance received by their employees. The goal, he says, is to force corporations to pay a living wage and curb roughly $150 billion in taxpayer dollars that currently go to funding federal assistance programs for low-wage workers each year.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/24/thousands-amazon-workers-receive-food-stamps-now-bernie-sanders-wants-amazon-pay-up/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_amazon-sanders-1120am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

 

 

How socialism works: Amazon socializes their costs by making you and me pay their costs for labor.

[Z09]

Then don't buy from them

[untitled]

Just now, Z09 said:

Then don't buy from them

 

You should read the post before you reply. 

[Neomalthusian]

1 hour ago, untitled said:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will soon introduce legislation that would require large employers like Amazon, Walmart and McDonald’s to fully cover the cost of food stamps, public housing, Medicaid and other federal assistance received by their employees. The goal, he says, is to force corporations to pay a living wage and curb roughly $150 billion in taxpayer dollars that currently go to funding federal assistance programs for low-wage workers each year.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/24/thousands-amazon-workers-receive-food-stamps-now-bernie-sanders-wants-amazon-pay-up/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_amazon-sanders-1120am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

 

How socialism works: Amazon socializes their costs by making you and me pay their costs for labor.

 

Serious question:  Does Bernie favor regressive flat sales taxes over progressive income taxes or something?

 

Forcing Amazon to pay more for things its employees would otherwise be able to get from government causes the prices of goods sold on Amazon to increase, which likens measures like this to a sales tax.  Federal assistance programs are funded by federal government's ability to spend fiat currency and (indirectly, in a sense) by federal taxes, which tend to be relatively progressive, at least compared to a tax on sales of retail goods, which is the effect that proposals like this would have -- to shift the cost from federal sources which are funded by progressive mechanisms, and instead push prices of retail goods up. 

 

Poor Americans pay very little in federal taxes, but spend a lot of their means on goods.  This whole concept is inherently regressive.

 

This is another example of self-described liberal progressives not being able to comprehend that what they're actually advocating for is regressive.

[untitled]

Just now, Neomalthusian said:

This is another example of self-described liberal progressives not being able to comprehend that what they're actually advocating for is regressive.

 

I'm smarter than you. So...cut the bullshiit lectures.

[splunch]

Bezos is +$32 billion so far this year.

 

I'm not sure I see how any increase in costs along the way necessarily translates into anything other than, maybe he's only +$20 billion?

 

I think he'll live.

[untitled]

Just now, splunch said:

Bezos is +$32 billion so far this year.

 

I'm not sure I see how any increase in costs along the way necessarily translates into anything other than, maybe he's only +$20 billion?

 

I think he'll live.

 

He's a parasite.

[Neomalthusian]

1 minute ago, untitled said:

I'm smarter than you. So...cut the bullshiit lectures.

 

If you were even a little bit smart, you'd see the regressive effect of ideas like this, instead of just mindlessly applaud.

[EltonJohnson]

 

The  LAW   involveS working to get food stamps.    You can  have a  job anywhere.

 

Amazon

Walmart

 

McDowells

 

All American Burger

 

 

[untitled]

Just now, Neomalthusian said:

 

If you were even a little bit smart, you'd see the regressive effect of ideas like this, instead of just mindlessly applaud.

 

Like I said, cut the bullshiit lecturing. I'm not a kid in your junior high school class. Debate or be ignored.

[EltonJohnson]

2 minutes ago, untitled said:

He's a parasite.

 

 

The  assistance programs allow for work.     They encourage work.   Its the law.

 

Why does it matter where you work?

[splunch]

Amazon belongs in the TBTF class.  It should not be permitted to exist in its current state any longer.

[EltonJohnson]

6 minutes ago, Neomalthusian said:

This is another example of self-described liberal progressives not being able to comprehend that what they're actually advocating for is regressive.

 

 

they don't even  understand the laws

 

This is an example of Bernie Sanders  manipulating the  lowest common denominator of voter .     The  Bern would be burned  in a debate with any average  intellect conservative voter.  His arguments  are easily crushed.

[untitled]

Just now, EltonJohnson said:

 

 

they don't even  understand the laws

 

This is an example of Bernie Sanders  manipulating the  lowest common denominator of voter .     The  Bern would be burned  in a debate with any average  intellect conservative voter.  His arguments  are easily crushed.

 

You have below average intelligence.

[Neomalthusian]

5 minutes ago, untitled said:

Like I said, cut the bullshiit lecturing. I'm not a kid in your junior high school class. Debate or be ignored.

 

You're the one not debating.  Try actually responding to anything.  Make a coherent point of any kind.  If you're left speechless by my posts, don't quote them.

[untitled]

Just now, Neomalthusian said:

 

You're the one not debating.  Try actually responding to anything.  Make a coherent point of any kind.  If you're left speechless by my posts, don't quote them.

 

Okay.

[Old Mack]

1 hour ago, untitled said:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will soon introduce legislation that would require large employers like Amazon, Walmart and McDonald’s to fully cover the cost of food stamps, public housing, Medicaid and other federal assistance received by their employees. The goal, he says, is to force corporations to pay a living wage and curb roughly $150 billion in taxpayer dollars that currently go to funding federal assistance programs for low-wage workers each year.

 

Point 1: The cost of a living wage will be passed on to the consumer and since Bernie is rich; he won't feel it.

 

Point 2: The people who don't work will still be able to collect welfare.

 

Point 3: If these part time workers don't like the pay they can always quit or get a education.

 

“The restaurant I used to work at is closing its doors. I swung by today to say hi one last time, and kid around with friends like old times,” the congressional candidate reminisced on Twitter. 

 

...Ocasio-Cortez, who rose to prominence after defeating top Democrat Joe Crowley in the party’s primary election in June, has campaigned on the issue of minimum wage, arguing for a $15 federal minimum wage, up from $7.25, insisting that it won’t have any negative consequences for businesses.

 

...Co-owner and President Charles Milite announced the decision to shut the doors to its 150 employees last month.

 

 

[EltonJohnson]

Just now, untitled said:

 

You have below average intelligence.

 

 

 

says you the guy who runs away from my questions.  If I  have  below average intellect, you are sub retarded.    think about that

[untitled]

Just now, EltonJohnson said:

 

 

 

says you the guy who runs away from my questions.  If I  have  below average intellect, you are sub retarded.    think about that

 

Nothing to think about. You're a troll.

[EltonJohnson]

2 minutes ago, Neomalthusian said:

Try actually responding to anything.  Make a coherent point of any kind.  If you're left speechless by my posts, don't quote them.

 

 

 

It is really funny when he calls you stupid after avoiding a question .     Liberalism  is a mental disorder.    Good chance he is typing form  some  assisted living  facility.

[EltonJohnson]

Just now, untitled said:

 

Nothing to think about. You're a troll.

 

Your brain is full.    Go empty it.

[splunch]

I'm not so sure I want McDonald's and Amazon becoming caretakers of "employees".  At some point we're losing control of our markets, our competition is going away, our freedom is gone, because a handful of employers can dictate conditions to the vast majority of us.

 

If we cannot get Glass-Steagall and some limits on these behemoths in place and in action soon, we're screwed.

[Neomalthusian]

12 minutes ago, splunch said:

I'm not so sure I want McDonald's and Amazon becoming caretakers of "employees".  At some point we're losing control of our markets, our competition is going away, our freedom is gone, because a handful of employers can dictate conditions to the vast majority of us.

 

It might be interesting if Democrats were advocating making our social assistance significantly more generous while also making joblessness one of the eligibility requirements.  You can only get these generous social benefits if you don't work, in other words.  Something like this would 1) improve the conditions of the really poor in this country while 2) making it difficult for companies like Amazon to find willing workers at wages that don't significantly exceed the welfare provision.  That would at least be a little bit interesting in terms of a proposal, and consistent with progressive ideology.  Because you don't even have to set minimum wages or pass labor standards that mandate employers provide (x), (y) or (z). You just provide it and then watch employers fail to be able to fill jobs because they can't even be bothered to offer more than welfare does.

 

What Bernie is advocating here would just be blatantly regressive, because it would shift cost burden off of federal government (which does not harm the poor in terms of what they can purchase), and instead tries to push the cost into the prices of consumer goods.  

 

Economically this isn't (or shouldn't be) an even remotely serious proposal coming from any supposed progressive politician.  The real reason Bernie is doing this is to try to foment anti-corporate and anti-rich resentment in the voting base in the lead-up to the mid-terms.

[splunch]

2 minutes ago, Neomalthusian said:

Economically this isn't (or shouldn't be) an even remotely serious proposal coming from any supposed progressive politician.  The real reason Bernie is doing this is to try to foment anti-corporate and anti-rich resentment in the voting base in the lead-up to the mid-terms.

My first reaction is, this is show-boating.

 

Warren's proposal regarding corporate governance made more sense.

[Neomalthusian]

3 minutes ago, splunch said:

My first reaction is, this is show-boating.

 

Warren's proposal regarding corporate governance made more sense.

 

Yeah show-boating for sure.

 

The Accountable Capitalism Act seems to engage in some cherry-picking that will open some cans of worms and start some probably unsolvable arguments, such as why only corporations, and only those that pass an arbitrary revenue cutoff, should be singled out concerning activities that non-corporate entities might also engage in.  I think some of its provisions will need to get axed to get some of the ideas passed.  For example, if it got whittled down to the company's workforce also having some representation in corporate governance, that would probably be fine.