Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

Post by anthanm » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:04 PM UTC

filoleg wrote: post #56

etaty wrote: post #26

All hail to Bezos... Earlier this year, under pressure from Amazon and other large employers, Seattle’s City Council repealed an employee head tax designed to provide housing and services for the homeless. In a statement, Amazon called the vote “the right decision for the region’s economic prosperity. We are deeply committed to being part of the solution to end homelessness in Seattle and will continue to invest in l…

you might want to check up on the actual breakdown of that specific head tax bill, there is a bunch of fairly neutral and level-headed discussions of it on Seattle subreddits. Tldr, it was really bad, as it hurt a bunch of small to medium sized local businesses that everyone uses, but somehow no one thought of when crafting the bill, and they were among the ones spearheading the repeal. The only thing that bill illus…

Post by maxsilver » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:04 PM UTC

partiallypro wrote: post #88

EB66 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can argue until we're blue in the face about whose fault it is and who should be responsible for ensuring workers are paid a livable wage, but I would hope that we can all agree on this: If you work full-time and you do a good job, then you should earn a wage that you can live on.

The question is, "what is a living wage?" The goal posts keep shifting...which doesn't help the case for this. If it were just "you can afford rent and food" that would be fine, I suppose...but it has now extended to so many other things that I wouldn't really call necessities.

Post by gldalmaso » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:05 PM UTC

vivekys wrote: post #62

stochastic_monk wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They use them because they aren’t paid enough to live on. Therefore, the government and thereby our taxes subsidize the company.

Why don't they quit and find other better paying job?

Post by ajcodez » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:06 PM UTC

DoreenMichele wrote: post #31

maxxxxx wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is more glory in philanthropy than in paying your employees. The ROI in terms of reputation is higher. Addition: the same is true for funding something like a computer lab at a school. Lots of good PR for funding a new one but nothing for keeping an existing one funded for the next few years. Although I think it's more valuable to make sure existing infrastructure stays funded.

You aren't anywhere near cynical enough. Taken far enough, programs to "help the homeless" -- instead of programs to reduce homelessness -- are a de facto plot to keep homelessness alive and well. It's a form of oppression of the masses. https://streetlifesolutions.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-shirky-...

Post by jahaja » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:06 PM UTC

dsabanin wrote: post #86

What's up with the critical comments in here? How many of the judgemental and jaded posters here donated anything close to this to a charitable cause? Good deeds must be applauded, not shamed for not being better. Especially if the definition of "better" is made up randomly on the spot.