# Trump attacking Amazon **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 1, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583 "2018-04-01T13:30:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/1 "2018-04-01T13:30:30Z")
> **[Trump vs. Amazon: Let's set the record straight](https://money.cnn.com/2018/03/29/technology/trump-tweets-about-amazon-taxes/index.html)** > > Trump again attacks Amazon for not paying state and local taxes. But it actually does. as usual he gets the facts wrong. I thought he was all for capitalism? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/2 "2018-04-01T13:35:24Z")
Amazon stock has dropped–I gotta get to a broker. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/3 "2018-04-01T13:41:32Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Amazon stock has dropped–I gotta get to a broker. Fake billionaire Trump isn’t going to stop Amazon, try, try as he may. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/4 "2018-04-01T13:50:57Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Amazon stock has dropped–I gotta get to a broker. Trump is a Republican. That means he’s “pro-business”. He’d never intentionally do anything to hurt the stock value of an American company! Unless the owner of the company had a newspaper that held Trump’s feet to the fire, then, you know, fuck their stock value. “Pro-business”. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/5 "2018-04-01T15:20:04Z")
Amazon probably refused to pay off Putin and his buddies to do business in Russia ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/6 "2018-04-01T15:20:46Z")
Trump is a moron, we know this. He hates that Jeff Bezos owns the WaPo, and the paper is not kind to him. Trump also may know that Bezos is actually a true billionaire that made his own wealth. Somewhere in trumps reptilian mind a couple of neurons fire (likely when he is asleep) and he fires off a tweet against whom he considers an enemy as soon as he wakes up. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/7 "2018-04-01T16:53:08Z")
Since the US is basically turning into Idiocracy anyhow, could Amazon take the Brawndo approach and simply buy the entire USPS outright? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/8 "2018-04-01T17:42:36Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Since the US is basically turning into Idiocracy anyhow, could Amazon take the Brawndo approach and simply buy the entire USPS outright? Much as I’d like to see Trump as the subject of an episode of “Ow! My Balls!” there’s no motivation for Amazon to do that. The Post Office is a money sink. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/9 "2018-04-01T20:18:33Z")
I must be misremembering this, but before the election I’d swear Trump’s issue with Amazon was that they use UPS too much and should have to use the post office more. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/10 "2018-04-01T20:37:44Z")
This article explains it very well: [“The Real Reason Jeff Bezos Grinds Trump’s Gears”](https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-08-18/the-real-reason-jeff-bezos-grinds-trump-s-gears) The gist: even though he came from a middle-class family, Bezos is way richer than thump and his finances aren’t hidden. He was a successful college student and is in a close, loving marriage/family. That’s in addition to the fact that he’s is great physical shape. Bezos also owns the Washington Post. Dang! What’s not to hate? From the article: > [@](#): > > …The biggest difference is that Bezos projects the self-confidence of someone with nothing to prove. “I don’t think he’s a showman,” Amazon board member Patty Stonesifer told Wired in a 1999 profile of Bezos, “but people are drawn to him because he seems unbelievably like a winner. And they want to help him win.” > > Trump, by contrast, projects thin-skinned insecurity. And in his zero-sum world there can be only one winner. … There can only be one winner. :rolleyes: Our prez wants to be a Bezos, but he’s just a bozo. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/11 "2018-04-01T21:44:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Much as I’d like to see Trump as the subject of an episode of “Ow! My Balls!” there’s no motivation for Amazon to do that. The Post Office is a money sink. Not really. An independent post office that didn’t have to play by the accounting rules that Congress stuck on their pension fund would make money every year. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/12 "2018-04-01T21:52:08Z")
Yeah, I’ve never understood the Republican desire to destroy the Post Office. I mean, it’s mentioned right there in the Constitution and everything. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/13 "2018-04-01T21:53:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yeah, I’ve never understood the Republican desire to destroy the Post Office. I mean, it’s mentioned right there in the Constitution and everything. Well, it _is_ a means of communication that completely bypasses Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/14 "2018-04-01T21:54:16Z")
What would the Postal Service have to change to stay in the black? ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/15 "2018-04-01T21:58:32Z")
Why is the agreement between Amazon and the USPS confidential? I can’t argue this topic with my Trump supporting family because I lack information about just how much Amazon does pay. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/16 "2018-04-01T22:01:14Z")
I’m not sure if/why it’s private, but if you’d like to argue with your family about it you could do worse than show them the article ThelmaLou linked to. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/17 "2018-04-01T22:18:47Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > What would the Postal Service have to change to stay in the black? If they were allowed to treat pension obligations the same way virtually all other government or quasi-governmental institutions do—that is, not to fully fund them but instead to demonstrate mathematically that ‘the money will [probably] be there when it’s needed’—if they were allowed to do that, they’d be in the black. And quite profitably, too. In addition to being required to pre-fund pensions, the USPS is required to pre-fund health care payments to retirees–another requirement other bodies don’t face: > [@](#): > > To become financially stable, the Postal Service is also urging Congress to provide it relief from the mandate to prefund retiree health benefits. Legislation in 2006 required the Postal Service to fund 75 years’ worth of retiree health benefits, something that neither the government nor private companies are required to do. > **[U.S. Postal Service marks 11 straight years of financial loss](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/u-s-postal-service-marks-11-straight-years-of-financial-loss)** > > The Postal Service reported a loss of $2.7 billion for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That was better than a $5.6 billion loss in the prior year but was mainly due to fluctuations in interest rates that reduced workers’ compensation expenses. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/18 "2018-04-01T22:30:01Z")
Don’t forget, either, that a lot of those pensions are subsidizing the Department of War. All federal pensions use the same system, and your pension is based on how many years you’ve worked in the federal government. And the Post Office is also required to give preferential hiring to veterans. So if someone serves in the military for a few years, and then goes to work for the USPS, the USPS has to pay not only their share of that person’s retirement, but also the military’s. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/19 "2018-04-02T00:12:24Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Dang! What’s not to hate? It should be said that Bezos’ isn’t a choir boy - he’s reputedly a bit of a narcissist himself and his labor policies in particular have come under quite of bit of criticism. While probably most anyone south of Pol Pot looks good compared to Trump, objectively speaking Jeff Bezos isn’t exactly Prince Charming. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583/20 "2018-04-02T00:19:25Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The gist: even though he came from a middle-class family, Bezos is way richer than thump and his finances aren’t hidden. He was a successful college student and is in a close, loving marriage/family. That’s in addition to the fact that he’s is great physical shape. Bezos also owns the Washington Post. Dang! What’s not to hate? True. But there are tens of millions of people who are better than Trump. What’s got him annoyed with Bezos specifically? My guess is Eric and Donald Junior shorted Amazon stock. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-attacking-amazon/811583.md?page=2)