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

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

#31

Post by DoreenMichele »

maxxxxx wrote: post #20
kolanos wrote: post #10

Call me cynical, but shouldn't this $2B go towards compensating his employees well enough to not have to use government welfare programs? [0] [0]: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-takes-walmarts-spot-w...

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-...

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

#32

Post by woah »

kolanos wrote: post #10

Call me cynical, but shouldn't this $2B go towards compensating his employees well enough to not have to use government welfare programs? [0] [0]: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-takes-walmarts-spot-w...

What is the problem with the employees using public benefits? Genuinely curious.

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

#33

Post by philipps »

jethro_tell wrote: post #23
mc32 wrote: post #4

I don’t agree with Bezos on a few things, but this is big. It’s about time companies care for their down and out compatriots. Progressives make all kinds of noise and virtue signal for people outside our care, but where the rubber meets the road, they fall short on helping fellow Americans—this is a nice start. Let’s see where it goes. Wonder if he’ll get Bernie to contribute (tongue in cheek)

> It’s about time companies care for their down and out compatriots. A nit, but this is still a little like dominoes fixing pot holes in the city so their drivers can actually deliver. Sure it's great, but it would be better to pay a more fair share of taxes and provide a safety net for our people and the money needed to maintain common infrastructure. I don't doubt this will be a more efficient endeavor than a gover…

Agree with almost everything you wrote. But given the track record of big philanthropy I doubt very much that this will be more efficient than government efforts.

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

#35

Post by kakarot »

burlesona wrote: post #15

I hope this works and is successful. Still I can’t help but be reminded of the saying that roughly goes “the people who are paid to solve a problem end up having a vested interest in the problem not being solved.” Specifically with regards to homelessness, the problem seems to be the critical shortage of housing for people in general, leading to a total crisis of affordable housing, rather than a specific problem of…

It's called the Cobra Effect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect

That said, one has to wonder how maintaining the homeless population would be beneficial to Amazon.

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

#36

Post by lolsal »

noobermin wrote: post #17
mc32 wrote: post #4

I don’t agree with Bezos on a few things, but this is big. It’s about time companies care for their down and out compatriots. Progressives make all kinds of noise and virtue signal for people outside our care, but where the rubber meets the road, they fall short on helping fellow Americans—this is a nice start. Let’s see where it goes. Wonder if he’ll get Bernie to contribute (tongue in cheek)

The best way for companies to care for their down and out compatriots is to pay their workers their due instead of profiting handsomely from underpaying them.

Are we in disagreement that this is better than nothing, though?

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

#37

Post by stochastic_monk »

woah wrote: post #32
kolanos wrote: post #10

Call me cynical, but shouldn't this $2B go towards compensating his employees well enough to not have to use government welfare programs? [0] [0]: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-takes-walmarts-spot-w...

What is the problem with the employees using public benefits? Genuinely curious.

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

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

#38

Post by umvi »

burlesona wrote: post #15

I hope this works and is successful. Still I can’t help but be reminded of the saying that roughly goes “the people who are paid to solve a problem end up having a vested interest in the problem not being solved.” Specifically with regards to homelessness, the problem seems to be the critical shortage of housing for people in general, leading to a total crisis of affordable housing, rather than a specific problem of…

> the people who are paid to solve a problem end up having a vested interest in the problem not being solved.

AKA the Shirky Principle

https://kk.org/thetechnium/the-shirky-prin/

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

#40

Post by marnett »

sabalaba wrote: post #18
karangoeluw wrote: post #2

I have always wondered which one is better: 1. Contribute early on little by little 2. Contribute nothing to very little for a while amassing huge fortunes (and compound interest magic), then donate big. Pretty much the same question as lump sum vs dollar cost averaging in investing. Have there been studies on this?

1. Usually will end when you pass away. 2. (Especially if establishing a foundation.) Will outlive you and continue on for potentially hundreds of years into the future. For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Foundation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Endowment_for_Interna... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_Foundation

The growth of these foundations require global Capitalism to continue to spread.
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