SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Call me cynical, but I'd bet those Giving Tuesday dollars that Amazon's giving to fight homelessness will come as cold comfort to those in Long Island City and Crystal City who are about to be made homeless. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Amazon Gives to End Homelessness? That's Rich.
This is the same trillion dollar corporation that just extracted billions of taxpayer dollars in what amount to bribes from two cash-strapped states: Virginia and New York
Nov 27, 2018
They call it Giving Tuesday, and we've just marked the seventh annual this week. It's supposed to kick off a season of charitable giving, but the way some corporate robber barons use it for public relations is enough to turn your stomach.
So let's rename it Stomach-Turning Tuesday. This year's prime stomach-turner was Amazon, of course. The corporate megastore that would sell everything to everybody and put all competition out of business publicizes its December-long #DeliveringSmiles program that supposedly gives away toys to kids. This year, they announced they'll give half a million dollars away in toys and throw in an additional $1 for every mile their #DeliveringSmiles trucks drive during their holiday giving tour.
Whom will Amazon give those extra dollars-on-the-mile to? The National Alliance to End Homelessness. That's rich.
This is the same trillion dollar corporation that just extracted billions of taxpayer dollars in what amount to bribes from two cash-strapped states: Virginia and New York. Those public billions could have gone to public housing or transit or other public services. Instead, they'll go to Amazon--one of the world's richest companies--to defray their costs for doing business.
What's in store for local residents? Well, Amazon's first home, the city of Seattle, is now the third most expensive housing market in the country. When Amazon arrived, it wasn't even close. According to the real estate site Zillow, home prices in Seattle rose 73% in the last five years and rents another 31%.
Call me cynical, but I'd bet those Giving Tuesday dollars that Amazon's giving to fight homelessness will come as cold comfort to those in Long Island City and Crystal City who are about to be made homeless.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for giving. But this isn't charity, it's feudalism. Aristocratic Amazon is tossing crumbs to peasants. And don't forget--for all those so-called charitable gifts, the company gets to claim a tax break. That picks yet more money out of public pockets and puts it back in the corporation's. If only it happened just one day a year instead of every Robber Baron week.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Laura Flanders
Laura Flanders
Laura Flanders interviews forward-thinking people about the key questions of our time on The Laura Flanders Show, a nationally syndicated radio and television program also available as a podcast. A contributing writer to The Nation, Flanders is also the author of six books, including "Bushwomen: How They Won the White House for Their Man" (2005). She is the recipient of a 2019 Izzy Award for excellence in independent journalism, the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award for advancing women's and girls' visibility in media, and a 2020 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship for her reporting and advocacy for public media. lauraflanders.org
They call it Giving Tuesday, and we've just marked the seventh annual this week. It's supposed to kick off a season of charitable giving, but the way some corporate robber barons use it for public relations is enough to turn your stomach.
So let's rename it Stomach-Turning Tuesday. This year's prime stomach-turner was Amazon, of course. The corporate megastore that would sell everything to everybody and put all competition out of business publicizes its December-long #DeliveringSmiles program that supposedly gives away toys to kids. This year, they announced they'll give half a million dollars away in toys and throw in an additional $1 for every mile their #DeliveringSmiles trucks drive during their holiday giving tour.
Whom will Amazon give those extra dollars-on-the-mile to? The National Alliance to End Homelessness. That's rich.
This is the same trillion dollar corporation that just extracted billions of taxpayer dollars in what amount to bribes from two cash-strapped states: Virginia and New York. Those public billions could have gone to public housing or transit or other public services. Instead, they'll go to Amazon--one of the world's richest companies--to defray their costs for doing business.
What's in store for local residents? Well, Amazon's first home, the city of Seattle, is now the third most expensive housing market in the country. When Amazon arrived, it wasn't even close. According to the real estate site Zillow, home prices in Seattle rose 73% in the last five years and rents another 31%.
Call me cynical, but I'd bet those Giving Tuesday dollars that Amazon's giving to fight homelessness will come as cold comfort to those in Long Island City and Crystal City who are about to be made homeless.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for giving. But this isn't charity, it's feudalism. Aristocratic Amazon is tossing crumbs to peasants. And don't forget--for all those so-called charitable gifts, the company gets to claim a tax break. That picks yet more money out of public pockets and puts it back in the corporation's. If only it happened just one day a year instead of every Robber Baron week.
Laura Flanders
Laura Flanders interviews forward-thinking people about the key questions of our time on The Laura Flanders Show, a nationally syndicated radio and television program also available as a podcast. A contributing writer to The Nation, Flanders is also the author of six books, including "Bushwomen: How They Won the White House for Their Man" (2005). She is the recipient of a 2019 Izzy Award for excellence in independent journalism, the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award for advancing women's and girls' visibility in media, and a 2020 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship for her reporting and advocacy for public media. lauraflanders.org
They call it Giving Tuesday, and we've just marked the seventh annual this week. It's supposed to kick off a season of charitable giving, but the way some corporate robber barons use it for public relations is enough to turn your stomach.
So let's rename it Stomach-Turning Tuesday. This year's prime stomach-turner was Amazon, of course. The corporate megastore that would sell everything to everybody and put all competition out of business publicizes its December-long #DeliveringSmiles program that supposedly gives away toys to kids. This year, they announced they'll give half a million dollars away in toys and throw in an additional $1 for every mile their #DeliveringSmiles trucks drive during their holiday giving tour.
Whom will Amazon give those extra dollars-on-the-mile to? The National Alliance to End Homelessness. That's rich.
This is the same trillion dollar corporation that just extracted billions of taxpayer dollars in what amount to bribes from two cash-strapped states: Virginia and New York. Those public billions could have gone to public housing or transit or other public services. Instead, they'll go to Amazon--one of the world's richest companies--to defray their costs for doing business.
What's in store for local residents? Well, Amazon's first home, the city of Seattle, is now the third most expensive housing market in the country. When Amazon arrived, it wasn't even close. According to the real estate site Zillow, home prices in Seattle rose 73% in the last five years and rents another 31%.
Call me cynical, but I'd bet those Giving Tuesday dollars that Amazon's giving to fight homelessness will come as cold comfort to those in Long Island City and Crystal City who are about to be made homeless.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for giving. But this isn't charity, it's feudalism. Aristocratic Amazon is tossing crumbs to peasants. And don't forget--for all those so-called charitable gifts, the company gets to claim a tax break. That picks yet more money out of public pockets and puts it back in the corporation's. If only it happened just one day a year instead of every Robber Baron week.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.