Trump vs Amazon
 

Amazon stocks drop 5% or 30 billion in market value after Trumps tweet

How can Trump say he support American business ?

Or is attacking amazon because of amazon owner owns the Washington post
Can you say abuse of power

Yeah, giant corporations often abuse their power.

I thought he was attacking them for not paying there fair share of taxes.

The dichotomy is amazing

I was watching Chuck Todd do a quickie new segment on the Today show this am and he was insisting it was wrong for the President to pick Winners and Losers.

While I generally agree the differences of just a few years is hysterically ironic.

How many small American business has amazon put out of business ? Thousands if not tens of thousands. In my town I have watched at least 10 businesses come and go because people just don’t shop “in real life” any more. Click and ship mentality is destroying main streets in every town in every state.
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This is another one of those areas where Trump gets pretty much everything wrong. USPS wrong, taxes wrong, small business wrong.

This is all about the WaPo and just trying to create another bogeyman to rile up the base.

I can see his point somewhat. I sell my book on Amazon. They won't collect state sales tax and forward to state coffers. The states have been harping on them for a while. Other online sites like Airbnb, Uber, etc, have redesigned their programs to collect all taxes and forward to states.

I have been paying state sales tax on Amazon for a while - RI requires it

the Postal Regulatory Commission, which oversees the industry, has found that the US Postal Service makes a profit from its contract with the company.

Friends of Mr Trump in the commercial property sector have also been urging him to protect them from digital retail giants as they see shopping malls closing and rents falling,


It is unprecedented for a sitting president to single out one company for such vicious attacks,

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43606088

I dont disagree.. but why only 1 company ?

Amazon collects state taxes on direct sales. For professional sellers they have a service where the seller can provide their state tax id and Amazon will apply proper state taxes as appropriate, but the seller has to sign up for it. This does make some sense, it's not Amazon's liability to ensure the state taxes are paid by a merchant they are simply a broker for.

I've read that about half of Amazon's purchases are not direct from the fulfillment centers but are through the marketplace. There could be a good argument here than Amazon is doing more to help small business gain a wider audience then they had previously. If anything put the hurt on local retail it's likely the big box stores in the 90's and 2000's.

And the USPS can't by law enter into a corporate agreement where they don't make a profit. Seems like all the shipping companies are using them these days to finish the delivery.

Not saying Amazon is perfect but it seems like POTUS is wrong on just about every facet of his argument. Why?

Oh yes, WaPo.

how can he attack them for not paying their fair share of taxes when he just cut the corporate tax rate ..


or was it sarcasm


but Oil companies are drilling along Mining company's on public land pay only $1.50 an acre per year to do so.. bargain prices give private companies a windfall while depriving American taxpayers of a fair return from energy production.


but he goes after amazon

How's your 401(k) compared to January 2017?

"how can he attack them for not paying their fair share of taxes when he just cut the corporate tax rate ..'

Many, not you, would say the new corporate tax rate is more than fair. Your pension, I promise, is benefitting from corporations being more profitable. But if your moral compass can't get on the same page, you can donate the extra money that Trumps policies have put into your pension, by voluntarily paying higher taxes. Let us know when you get around to doing that.

"bargain prices give private companies a windfall"

Good lord man, and the private sector employees who benefit, pay the taxes that fund your salary. So that's good for you. You can't see that?

You act as if private sector employee's don't pay taxes .. Jim you have a hard time looking at the big picture .. can you tell me why Trump would attack amazon for not paying taxes after cutting their taxes or why is it good for the tax payer to allow drilling on public land for 2 dollars an acre .. Trump is abusing his power as potus and you love it and I contribute to my pension and it don't change because of the stock market .. my personal plan does and I have seen the down and the up both had very little to do with the POTUS policy's

That is good to know. On my seller statements it never shows that the buyer is paying the state sales tax to Amazon. Maybe it's buried in the Amazon fees.

Are you planning on cashing out?

Jeff,why not just answer the question?
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How about the market compared to other presidents
http://www.macrotrends.net/2481/stoc...e-by-president

"You act as if private sector employee's don't pay taxes "

I have never said, or implied, that private sector employees don't pay taxes. Do you mean public sector? I have also never implied that public sector employees don't pay taxes. But they are better off when tax rates are higher, because every cent of their funding comes from taxing somebody else.

"can you tell me why Trump would attack amazon for not paying taxes "

Because he's a jerk, and he's not that smart, and obviously he tweets before he thinks, and he has no grasp of what it is, that he doesn't know. Fair enough?

"why is it good for the tax payer to allow drilling on public land for 2 dollars an acre "

Because it's better when crude is $60/barrel than $100/barrel.

"Trump is abusing his power as potus and you love it"

I love some of what he does, I hate plenty of what he does. You can't grasp that, to you it's all or nothing.

"I contribute to my pension "

And your contributions are funded by taxing someone else. And if your pensions is like the ones in CT, your contributions don't fund the benefits, so you need additional contributions from the state, which means, you need tax revenue.

"(my pension) don't change because of the stock market"

The hell it doesn't. What do you suppose the people who manage your pension, do with your contributions? Bury it in their backyard? Stuff it in their mattresses? Or do they buy stocks and, more likely, bonds? The healthier the economy, the more your pension fund grows, so the more likely there's enough money to fund your benefit. I am right on that. You are far better off is the economy is booming, than you are during a recession.

" have seen the down and the up both had very little to do with the POTUS policy's"

So why do you (and I) give Obama credit for the economic results of his 8 years?

You gotta let go of some of that bias, WDMSO. It won't kill you. Trump has massive moral flaws, he's not a good guy. But he's helping the economy.

Because the answer doesn't serve his personal agenda.

When my beliefs cannot stand up to the scrutiny of such a simple question, that's the day I re-examine what I believe.

Maybe I am taking the DJIA 'out of context', maybe if you look at it through Spence's context, it's actually down over the last 15 months.

When Trump came in, the stock market (thanks in part to Obama) was very high. It's harder to grow the stock market when it's high, and easier to grow the market after a crash.

That doesn't diminish what Obama did. But when he came in, the market had almost nowhere to go but up.

It's like golf. It's a lot easier to take 5 shots off your game when you are shooting 130, then it is when you are shooting 90.

Would it kill you to admit that he's been good for the economy? In all seriousness, what are you afraid will happen, if you are honest for 10 seconds?

I always feel that I am honest, I just have a hard time with the emperor's attire.
It's a lot easier to make the market go up by cutting corporate taxes in the middle of an expansion phase, in fact it is likely the only way to hyperinflate the market in that case.
Honestly, I feel that it will make the coming market adjustment in the next two years worse.
Who Trump will blame that on remains to be seen.

The market went up long before the GOP passed the tax overhaul.

You can also hyperinflate the market by doing what Obama did, borrowing a couple of trillion and dumping it into the market.

" feel that it will make the coming market adjustment in the next two years worse.
Who Trump will blame that on remains to be seen"

OK, so when the inevitable correction/recession occurs, none of it will be connected to anything Obama did, all of it will be Trump's fault. That's "honest"?

When the market goes on a tear for 9 years, it typically gives back at some point. If Hilary had won, we'd still be due for a correction/recession. That's the cycle. Sure, there are things presidents can do to make it more or less severe.

You are right, assuming there's a correction/recession on Trump's watch, you can bet he will place all of the blame elsewhere.

No, but for damn sure I have stop loss orders on my top holdings...the correction is coming.

We agree on one thing

"What would you have suggested he do at that point in time? Wait for things to sort themselves out?"

See, this is the dishonesty I was referring to. Both Obama and Trump took significant steps to try and help the economy. Both took risks, that as of now, appear to be working. You are concerned about the potential downside to Trump's actions, yet you have no concerns about what Obama did, because in your mind his moves were brilliant and necessary.

As of right now, the evidence shows both have helped the economy. You give credit to one, and issue dire warnings about the other. The one you give credit to, is a democrat, the one you cannot bring yourself to give credit to, is (supposedly) a Republican.

That's honest?

If the economy crashes tomorrow, all the liberals will say it's all Trump's fault (nothing to do with Obama), and all the conservative purists will say it had nothing to do with Trump. The truth is in the middle somewhere, as usual.

"Since the claim is made that all things good are due to Trump's policies, surely the converse must be true?"

Who made that claim? I have said many times, including on this thread, that the economy did well under Obama. Again, are you being honest? Who said all good things are due to Trump? Show us who said that, or admit you made it up?

"Would that be like cutting taxes and increasing the deficit in the middle of an expansion. Sure you have a short term "good" but long term?"

OK so today, you are opposed to increasing the deficit. What was your stance on increasing the deficit, from, oh, say, 2009-2016?

So you're claiming the market gains the past 12 months are evidence of Trump's fiscal sophistication even though they're about to crash.

Good one.

See here's the difference between you and me. I ask you a question, you evade (you still haven't answered). You ask me a question, I respond directly. I can respond directly, because unlike some people, my opinions are a result of critical thinking, as opposed to blind, fanatical acceptance of one party's doctrine.

Many people, regardless of party, think a correction/recession is due. That is not necessarily a rejection of Trump's policies (though people like you will obviously spin it that way when it happens). Whoever won in 2016, was going to inherit an economy that was ripe for some pain. The tax overhaul instantly made companies more profitable, thus more valuable, thus perhaps postponing the correction.

It didn't matter whether Bernie Sanders won, or Ted Cruz, or someone in between. We are ripe for a correction. I would say the same exact thing, regardless of the party of the winner of the election. Your spin, depends entirely on the party of the POTUS, that tells you whether you give the POTUS credit or blame.

End with a But ______________, typical gaslighting move.

"When Obama did that the economy was in a tailspin, when Trump did that the economy was and had been growing. There is a big difference"

Yes there is a difference. But if there is a difference, why did you think it relevant to post stock market performance by president? Answer - that statistic makes Obama look good. But using your logic, after th ecrash Obama inherited, stock increases aren't the same as stock market increases after Trump.

The economy was not in a tailspin for Obama's last few years, yet he left quantitative easing in place. How come? And how come you aren't concerned about the ramifications?

Let me answer for you...as long as Obama was in office, the right thing to do, is whatever it was that Obama did. Since Trump took office, the right thing to do, is opposite of whatever Trump did.

Is that about right?

It's a silly question. Unless I'm going to pull money out my 401k value is meaningless. Could be 1/2 what it is now when I retire.
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That is a selfish answer, hard to feign shock but that is the best Jeff can do in two days.

Why not just say that there is a lot more money in there but you're not sure why that is.
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It's not what he does it's the consistent BS, I think he believes if he says it, it becomes truth.
How about one of his recent speeches on his standard subject to talk and do nothing about, Infrastructure.
2:09 p.m. — Trump begins with a reference to his election victory: “What a group. Remember, you can’t win unless you win the state of Ohio, right?”
2:14 p.m. — Trump falsely claims that a California project to replace a section of existing border wall...is indeed his own wall project...“We started building our wall. I’m so proud of it. We started. We started. We have $1.6 billion. And we’ve already started. You saw the pictures yesterday, and I said what a thing of beauty. And on September 28 we go further. And we’re gettin’ that sucker built. And you think that’s easy? People said, ‘Oh, has he given up on the wall?’ Nah, I never give up."
2:16 p.m. — Trump says the U.S. has been treated better on trade by its enemies than its allies: “Frankly our friends did more damage to us than our enemies."
2:24 p.m. — Trump falsely claims, “We got rid of the bump stocks. The bump stocks now are under very strict control.” His administration’s proposed ban on the firearm device has not been finalized.
2:34 p.m. — Trump falsely claims that he was opposed to the Iraq War “from the beginning.” He haltingly supported the war when radio host Howard Stern asked him in 2002, saying, “Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly.”
2:35 p.m. — Trump appears to ad-lib a major foreign policy declaration that is at odds with his administration’s stated policy—claiming, with no details, that he will withdraw the U.S. military from Syria “very soon.”
“And by the way we’re knockin’ the hell out of ISIS. We’ll be coming out of Syria like very soon. Let the other people take care of it now. Very soon. Very soon. We’re coming out."
2:36 p.m. — Trump falsely claims, for the ninth time in office, that the U.S. has spent $7 trillion on Middle East wars...Trump then says, “Nobody ever heard of the word trillion until 10 years ago.”
2:39 p.m. — Trump expresses confusion about all of the judicial vacancies that greeted him upon entering office: “I don’t know why Obama left that. It was like a big beautiful present to all of us. Why the hell did he leave it?"
2:45 p.m. — Trump says he does not know what a community college is. He says community colleges should be called vocational schools, though those are entirely different..."use vocational, because that’s what it’s all about. People know what that means. We don’t know what a community college means.”
2:54 p.m. — Trump says America’s infrastructure is “like, in many cases, a Third World country.”
2:58 p.m. — Trump tells workers: “You’re restoring pride in this country again. Our country had very little pride. Look back. See what was happening. Our country had very little pride.”
2:59 p.m. — “Even look at Roseanne! I called her yesterday! Look at her ratings! Look at her ratings! I got a call from Mark Burnett, he did The Apprentice, he’s a great guy. He said, ‘Donald, I called just to say hello and to tell you, did you see Roseanne’s ratings?’ I said, ‘Mark, how big were they?’ They were unbelievable! Over 18 million people! And it was about us! They haven’t figured it out! The fake news hasn’t quite figured it out yet! They have not figured it out! So that was great. And they haven’t figured it out. But they will. And when they do, they’ll become much less fake. May take a while, but it’s happening.”

It's not even close to meaningless. If your 401k is up since he's been in, an honest person would give him credit.

Likelihood of cashing out means nothing. Bush was crucified when the economy tanked at the end of hos term, and I'd bet my house that you were among those who criticized him. were you cashing out then?

I don't even know what you are saying...only those ready to cash out, are qualified to opine on the economic policies of the current POTUS? Absurd.

This was about Trump and Amazon lets simplify the topic with a right or wrong. was trump right or wrong to attack Amazon and cause a stock drop which remove 30 billion dollars in value.



I say wrong

Trump loves to stir the pot, especially if that pot is someone he thinks he owes some payback to and if he felt state taxes for online sales are something that needed to be adjusted, it should have been done in another way. POTUS shouldn't be taking personal matters to the public's attention like he did, it should have been handled with legislation or some other means.

Russian hackers have just breached lord and taylor among others, I'm sure DJT will be blasting the state sponsor cyber crime in his next speech.........NOT.

To suggest DJT is solely responsible for the ups and downs of the market is absurd, but he certainly has had a negative impact with the trade war he has started and certainly calling out Amazon like he did doesn't help. He came into office with the market going in the right direction, the economy and some of his moves, helped it continue in that direction. But while he repeatedly over and over and over and over took credit for the stock market, I guarantee he won't take any blame for what is happening now.

I would say it is pretty scary when Trump and Bernie agree.
I also think it's pretty comical that people outside Vermont care what Bernie says.
I think Trump should have his tweeting privileges revoked, if he was my kid I'd have taken his phone away for his behavior on it.

One more hit like today and my retirement keep in mind that's at a risk level of 3 out of 10), will soon be approaching the level it was the end of April 2017. Trump took credit for the market going crazy, hope he's going to man up and take credit for it tanking in response to his latest moves. Granted, some corrections had to happen, but an entire year of gains are about to go down the drain at this rate.

I pity the younger investors more heavily invested in the market.

Great quote from Ross Gerber CEO Gerber Kawasaki Wealth Management
I’ m bullish on business Bearish on Government
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