George Eastman of Kodak fame had a monopoly of the photographic industry in the United States by 1927. He became incredibly wealthy. With this wealth, he was the first American industrialist to introduce the concept of profit sharing in the U.S. In addition to having a system that enabled his employees to receive direct shares of profit, Eastman also gave monetary gifts to each of his workers and the option to buy stocks in his company.
Many years later……
Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame had a virtual monopoly of on-line retail sales. He became incredibly wealthy. With this wealth, he flew himself and a few of his friends to outer space.
Message to Democrats: To Make America Great Again, remind voters of the George Eastman’s and stop kissing the butt of Bezoes.
Mr. Eastman was also a long-term supporter of the “American Eugenics Society”. From one sympathetic biography (https://medium.com/@TimGreyhavens/a-brief-history-of-photography-and-philanthropy-part-6-george-eastmans-radical-generosity-13f50f6564b3, emphasis mine):
Various sources confirm that he gave $338,468.75 (in 2021 dollars) per year from 1926 until his death in 1932. American-style Eugenics was a major influence on Adolf Hitler.
I invite you to read “A Study of the United States Influence on German Eugenics.” (https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5263&context=etd). It describes a dark and horrifying aspect of America during that time. From the link (emphasis mine):
We should not forget that America of this period led the world in the forced sterilization of blacks. The Tuskegee Institute (also generously funded by Mr. Eastman) is infamous for its horrific abuse of blacks in the ‘Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male (https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm). That study began in 1932 — no doubt enabled by the generous funding of Mr. Eastman.
This is not the time to hold up Mr. Eastman as an example to emulate. So far as I know, Mr. Bezos is not funding any organizations dedicated to exterminating blacks.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones….
Sadly, I concur.
I don’t feel the antipathy towards Mr. Bezos that many express (not just you). I welcome his eagerness to fund space exploration technology. Our collective refusal to collect taxes from the very wealthy therefore means that our federal government has too many other things that must come first. I think science in general and space science in particular is a welcome and valuable investment of some of the breathtaking wealth that our economy generates.
If Bill Gates did the same, the resulting vehicle would surely pause at T minus 3 seconds and demand that Mission Control share their contacts with Microsoft before proceeding.
I similarly don’t feel a particular hostility towards Mr. Eastman. Eugenics was a scourge on the world and America was a leader. Unlike Europe — which rejected Eugenics in the immediate aftermath of the second world war — America continued its practices and philosophies until long into the 1950s.
Mr. Eastman, like so many others of his day (and ours) was neither hero nor villain. He, like all of us, strikes me as somebody who did the best he could given his time, place, and personal gifts and talents.
I can think of plenty others I would like to hold to that standard.
Mr. Eastman and Mr. Ford both had flaws but both paid their workers a living wage. Mr. Bezos runs a modern day sweat shop. Piss on him.
I share your contempt for the way Amazon treats its workers.
Here’s an idea for Democrats….run media ads explaining things in simple, plain, math.
If Jeff Bezos paid the same tax rate as you, he’d being paying $XX,XXX but instead he’s paying $ OOO. The government still needs that $XX,XXX , but instead of Jeff paying it, you and your neighbors are.