Trump v Amazon

President Donald Trump giving Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos an earful.

President Trump is at it again.  *sigh*  His mouth is in overdrive, and his brain is in neutral.  His latest target is Amazon, the retailing behemoth.  Da Prez claims Amazon is ripping off the Treasury by not paying enough taxes, and is cheating the USPS, aka the Post Office, by not paying their fair share for shipping. I'm sure his displeasure has nothing to do with the fact that Bezos also owns the Washington Post, which has some very aggressive investigative reporters who have uncovered all sorts of Trump shenanigans.

Trump says Amazon is costing the USPS billions of dollars, financially breaking an already broke Post Office.  The only problem with that is it's not true.  No less than the Postal Regulatory Commission says the USPS makes a profit from its Amazon business, which subsidizes its other services.  In fact, as I recall, Amazon not long ago made a commitment to help keep the USPS afloat by maintaining or even increasing its business with them.  They had an ulterior motive for doing this, of course:  they didn't want to put all their eggs in only FedEx and UPS's basket. 

Now, about the state and federal government treasuries getting short changed.  Umm, President Trump, would you please show us YOUR taxes?  Have you not taken advantage of all the tax breaks YOU were legally allowed?  Of course you have, but somehow it's not OK if Amazon does the same?  

The truth is, Amazon pays state sales taxes on products they sell in those states where they have an actual physical presence.  In other words, if they have, for example, a warehouse or "Fulfillment Center" in a state, they pay that state sales taxes on everything they sell there.  But if you'll pay attention to Amazon's website you'll see that some of the things you can buy there are actually shipped from independent cooperating retailers, and THEY don't pay state sales taxes if THEY don't have a physical presence in the state they're shipping to.  While it does sound like an end run, it's legal.  Don't like the law?  Take a number....our tax code is hopelessly rigged.  And don't look to congress for a remedy.  They're the rig-ers.

If President Trump wants to pick on Amazon, why doesn't he point out all the local businesses they have helped close down over the years?  Why is Amazon allowed to keep buying up other businesses, like Zappos and Whole Foods, hastening its eventual stranglehold on American consumers?  "Economy of scale" is a double edged sword.  Bigger is definitely better....if you're big.  But if you're a small business, not so much.  It seems to me consumers are just unwitting pawns in their "bigger" game. 

S

Dear gawd....say it ain't so!

Now this is just disgusting.  If I was an orange or a cherry I'd be insulted.  I'm totally grossed out.  

I mean, carrots are horse food.  

Tomatoes go on hamburgers.  And pizza.  Neither belong in ice cream.  Ewwwwww!

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So how are we supposed to start a revolution if they have all the bullets?

That's what all the conspiracy theorists were asking when they found out the Department of Homeland Security had bought 1.6 BILLION rounds of ammunition.  They claim that it's the gubments way of controlling guns since they can't do it via congressional action....they're just buying up all the ammo.

And now this:  The Postal Service, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are buying up large amounts of ammunition, too.

All four have their own police force, and their own SWAT teams!  (I have visions of Police Academy.)

OK, I can see the postal inspectors needing all that.  There are all manner of vicious criminals sending illegal junk mail who need to be whacked.  I get it.

The Agriculture Department?   I'll buy that, too.  Someone needs to slap down those evil vegetable growers, and those Haagan Dasz people in Japan should they decide to bring that veggie ice cream crap to 'Merica.

But the Social Security folks?  Do they get in shoot-outs and high speed chases on gubment Segways with the gray hairs on their walkers?  Really?

And NOAA....the folks who Give Us This Day Our Daily Forecast?  So they're no longer satisfied with just telling us about the summer heat?  Now they want to pack it, too?

Who'd a thunk it?  ;)

S

Details....details....

We're still doing all those little detail things moving demands, like dealing with the change of address notices. Yesterday K was online filling out the form with the Post Office and she came in and asked to use my debt card.  I asked why and she said the USPS charged a $1 fee for online address changes.  Do you believe that?  Mark my words, one of these days the Post Office is just going to wither and die.  They are darn near worthless now....all I ever get in the mail are two magazines and junk mail, and I'd be happy to pay a little more to the publishers to send the magazines UPS.  I don't want the junk mail at all.  That's why it's called JUNK.  At least the magazines would arrive in one piece as opposed to the covers being ripped off like I get now.


Meanwhile I set up our new electric service.  In Texas we have a choice of providers which sounds good but is in reality a royal rip-off.  When we "de-regulated" years ago it was rigged so that we Texas homeowners pay among the highest rates in the nation.  The deciding factor is the length of rate lock-in you want;  month-to-month, 3 months at a time, 6 months, or a year.  I chose the 12 month term and am paying $.086 per kilowatt hour (1,000 KW = $86).  If you don't mind telling, what do you pay per KWH where you live?  I'm curious to see how badly I'm being screwed.


A bit of good news....I have someone interested in buying my huge desk.  I hope he can come by this week and we can make a deal.  My back hurts just thinking about having to move that monstrosity.


We start a new remodel job today so I've gotta get a move-on.  Hope y'all have a good week.


S

The Postal Service strikes again!

I know the US Constitution specifically says the government is supposed to deliver the mail, but really, the Postal Service is about as worthless as a screen door on a submarine.   Why would anyone choose to deal with the USPS, given a choice?  How inept do you have to be to get a job at the post office?  Maybe that's why they lost $5.1B last year, and are projected to lose another $14.1B next year.  They can't even deliver a simple magazine in one piece:

Up through page 48 I just have to guess what the missing words might have said.  As far as I'm concerned, the USPS can go ahead and forgo Saturday delivery as they are proposing.  They should easily be able to compress their damage into a 5-day-delivery week, leaving their Saturday's free for banjo practice.

Long live UPS and FedEx!

S

The right way and the wrong way....

A while back K ordered some professional books (HR-type study books) from Amazon and they shipped them via the United States Postal Service.  She never received them, so yesterday she emailed the USPS, gave them the assigned shipping/tracking number, and asked for assistance.  She eventually got a reply which said they could not help her find her missing package. 


So what's the point in having a tracking number?  This is government logic at its finest!  (I know, I know...the USPS is a stand-alone entity, not taxpayer funded, but I contend they still operate with a government mentality.)  This is definitely THE WRONG WAY to do business.  Obviously "customer service" is a foreign concept to the USPS.


She then called Amazon and told them of the problem and they apologized and told her they would either refund her money or ship it again.  She opted for the "ship again", and shortly received an email confirmation that it was on its way, and they even upgraded her shipping to 'next day delivery' at no additional charge.  This is definitely THE RIGHT WAY to do business.  Kudos Amazon!


And the USPS wonders why they're losing billions of dollars. They're even contemplating a cut-back in delivery service to as few as 3 days a week.  I say just close 'em down and don't look back.  Yes, there would be some temporary job losses, but car washes are always needing new rag boys (and girls).  ;)


S