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

It was sheer pandolerium!

This was the scene yesterday at the new Trader Joe's that opened in Plano, just a couple of miles away from us.  We had dinner out last night, then thought we'd drive by TJ's and check it out.  It was crazy!  People began camping out the night before to be among the first ones inside on opening day.  We didn't dare buy anything because there were 20 people deep at every check out.  We just did a quick reconnoiter, found the snack aisle and the Three Buck Chuck (wine) display, then fought our way back outside.  Whew!  Maybe we'll try again in a couple o' weeks. 

One disappointment:  It's a tiny little store.  I thought it would be like a regular grocery store, but it's maybe 20% as large as Central Market or Whole Foods.  Maybe they're trading quantity for quality.  I'll let you know.

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I took Luke The Yorkshire Terrier out this morning as usual to find the weather had changed dramatically from yesterday's 104 degrees.  As forecast, the wind was howling at 20+ mph and the temp was in the mid-60's.  I was lovin' it, but the Lukester....not so much.  The poor little dude would find himself a nice tree and hoist his leg....and then he'd blow over.  Another tree, another try, same result.  (His "trees" were more like a big bushes, but when you're as small as he is, I guess even a bush looks like a tree.)  I finally took him over to the construction site a block away where he used one of their big orange "road closed" barrels as a wind break and completed his mission. I wish I'd had my camera....it was a hoot!

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Yesterday they opened a 41-mile-long stretch of toll road between San Antonio and Austin, TX.  With a speed limit of 85 mph it's billed as "the fastest road in America".  I hate to be the one to break the bad news to the toll road authorities, but no one is going to pay money to slow down to 85 when they can drive 90 (illegally) for free everywhere else.

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Going back outside to get me some more cool.  :)  

Have a great Saturday, everyone.

S

Who invented advertising?

Whoever he was, he was an evil genius.  He has had more influence on the world that we live in today than Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, or even Carlo Ponzi.  I mean, any guy who could turn snakes into oil was either a genius or one smooooooooth talker.  

It was advertising that sold Ford Pinto's, women's "housecoats", and OxiClean.  (Hey....you think Billy Mays invented advertising?)  But not Twinkies.  They were a gift from God.  Advertising built the free market system, really.  They invented stuff we didn't need and via advertising made us think our life wouldn't be worth living without it.  

But wait....there's more!

I'm pretty sure an entire branch of advertising has been developed just to sell things specifically to my wife, and they've honed their pitch to a fine art.  I can't tell you how many exercise gizmos, kitchen implements, and hair care and beauty goops she's bought.  

Her latest must-have stuff:  Some kind of "nutritional shake".  This morning she asked me, "Will you be a doll and stop by Whole Foods on your way home and get me some Vega One?"  

"Uhh....What's Vega One?"

"Here....just walk in the door and give this $5-off coupon to anyone wearing an employee name tag and let them get it for you.  You'll never find it on your own."

"Holy Crap!  If it's $5 off, what's the regular price?"

*silence*

But of course I'll buy it for her, mainly because I've never seen a grown woman leap over a tall building in a single bound.  At least that's what the advertising pitch promised.

S

A preview of Autumn?

Our weather here in Dallas yesterday was very un-August like, which was a good thing.  It was cloudy all day with a shower here and there, but by late afternoon the rain became steady.  The best part was the temperature...it was in the 80's most of the day, dropping like rock when the rain came.  We went out for dinner and found we could actually have used a jacket.  With the wet and the wind and the temp at 68 degrees, it felt great to this warm-blooded Texan.

Today it's sunny again, but the high is still expected to be only around 90, maybe less.   I'm going to Whole Foods today and pick us up a couple of nice steaks, and grill them this evening and serve them up with some big 'ol baked potatoes.  I'd have a hard time picking a "last meal" as there are a lot of things I love to eat, but a steak and a baked potato will always be my default fave.  Mmmmm....

Here's hoping you have a great day planned, too.

S