Posted on 07/27/2012 6:39:44 AM PDT by scottjewell
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon.com, and his wife, MacKenzie, have agreed to donate $2.5 million to help pass a same-sex marriage referendum in Washington State, instantly becoming among the largest financial backers of gay marriage rights in the country.
With the gift, the couple have doubled the money available to the proponents of Referendum 74, which would legalize same-sex marriage in the state by affirming a law that passed the Legislature this year. Courts or lawmakers have declared gay marriage legal in six other states, but backers of such measures have never succeeded at the ballot box.
Proponents of the effort in Washington State called it a game-changing gift that gives them a fighting chance in November.
“To get this from a straight, married couple sends a powerful message that marriage is seen as a fundamental question of fairness,” Zach Silk, the campaign manager for Washington United for Marriage, said Thursday in an interview.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com ...
Kudos to you, it’s not easy doing the right thing. It’s inconvenient, it’s where do I go? it’s a lot of things - but you did it anyway. Since you helped build it, you have the privilege of tearing it down.
So, can anyone recommend a similar place where I can shop? I get almost all my gifts and non-grocery items from Amazon but this has really angered me.
Overstock.com has a good, flat shipping rate but not a great selection. Any other online stores to recommend?
Yes, it's his right. I've used Amazon many times. Never again. I also have never eaten at a Chic-Fil-A but next Wednesday I'm going to join hopefully millions of others, drive to the next town(there's not one here) and eat at that fine establishment. Too bad Amazon. $$$ out of one pocket and into another.
See post #63.
I’ve used Amazon extensively since it’s beginning, and was so excited about getting a Kindle Fire when it came out. I currently have an Amazon order in transit. This is such disappointing news for me. I emailed them. It looks like my Kindle will be going into a closet. I’m guessing they’ve lost more than $1000 of business at least from me per year. I guess I’ll have to buck up and actually leave the house to shop.
Oh shoot. I forgot about my Kindle.
Oh well, they still have a ton of free online books which I’ll have no qualms about “buying”.
Hope these are good:
4 online shopping alternatives to Amazon:
Other websites offer different options and pricing comparisons
Being a CEO is like being a general - if you are one, then STFU about politics. Opinions aren’t something CEO’s can afford to have, and they shouldn’t have them.
“Mr. CEO, what’s your policy on gay marriage?”
“My people don’t have weddings at work. We don’t have a stand.”
“Gay friendly policies and benefits?”
“Again, we hire people, not gay people, just people. We don’t allow sex at work, and I don’t care what they do on their off time, so long as it doesn’t impact their ability to do their jobs. If being gay makes them more effective, let them be gay. If, however, being gay hurts their performance at work, then it will be an issue, because from my desk, all I see is performance, or a lack thereof.
To be sure, we hire lobbyists to champion legislation that is in the interest of our customers, our employees, and our shareholders, since while it is true that government has never made people rich, they have made quite a few people poor. The less we have of it, generally speaking, the better off our customers, employees, and shareholders tend to be.”
True, but all the corporations seem to be choosing sides on the same sex marriage issue, due to political and public relations reasons.
None of those passes the FR dogma test, especially Yahoo.
I don’t buy from Amazon anyway, now I know that I never will.
Thanks. I may use some of those places but they still aren’t one store with everything plus free shipping. Oh well, who ever said boycotting was supposed to be easy?
I think my service station guy winked at me. Thats the last time I will be buying gas there. I can’t go to movies any more because you know what most actors are. My brother is no longer welcome at my house and I’m beginning to wonder about my sister. Since I became politically active most of my day has been spent going through the boycott list to determine what I am able to do with the two hours I have left before I go to sleep without a worry in the world. Wait! Did the Dentist say something about a good looking mouth?
Above all, make sure to be wary of your urologist.
OMG I forgot what the SOB did to me. Note to self: Cancel healthcare and pay the penalty. Thanks SJ.
Kind of like the list of politicians one might vote for that have not been accused of being a RINO.
Sorry, but I don't believe I am being inconsistent. Bezos is free to do what he wants with his money. So am I and so are you. I am also free to shop where I want to. As are you.
Where do he get his money? For you and others! Duh!...P>
That sounds an awful lot like Obama's "you didn't build that." argument. (Although his grammar and spelling were better.) He did get his money from me and others, but just like I get a paycheck I am still free to do with that money what I wish.
Fail. It's not the customer who provides any security for it's employment, it's the owners.
So now let's talk about consistency. Above you argued that the money came from me and others. Now you are talking about security coming from the owners, not the customers. Sorry, but you were right the first time. No customers, no business. The money that the owners receive does not come out of thin air.
You just decided you would support evil, nothing more.
Really? So by shopping at Amazon, which provides jobs for 60,000+ people, the majority of whom, statistically, probably don't support gay marriage, I am supporting evil? I guess you would prefer to see all those people out of a job? Yeah, that would teach old Bezos. Of course he would never miss a meal.
Having said all that, I don't really care if you boycott Amazon or not. It is your choice and you are entitled to it. I simply don't think it will accomplish the goal and can even have detrimental consequences for many people who share our opposition to gay marriage.
Thought experiment: Say you were wheeled into the emergency room with a heart attack in need of immediate surgery and the only attending surgeon is gay. Would you prefer to die or to be operated on by that guy?
Are you saying it’s okay for the government to prevent someone from doing business because of his oppinion? Would it be okay if the government prevented you from building a house because of your personal oppinion?
Brilliant, how did you come up w/that.
Now I use my freedom to choose where I shop. I don't give it to where I know it promotes evilness just to fulfill my 'wants'.
I guess you would prefer to see all those people out of a job?
Another dumb*** attempt at thinking customers are responsible for an owner's employees. That puts you in the UNTEACHABLE class.
As you are using the same twisted logic as before - you keep failing.
a heart attack in need of immediate surgery and the only attending surgeon is gay. Would you prefer to die or to be operated on by that guy?
MORE twisted logic and going for the 'life or death' to achieve it. How do I know that he is gay? You are just being a real d**k. No one wants you perverted twisted logic to support something YOU KNOW NOW is advancing the devil's work.
There are those who will never support evil. If you want to, that's your problem - just don't think you can convince anyone to lower themselves to your level. You are just showing alot about yourself - doing nothing else. FAIL!
If, instead of an on-line business, they were running my favorite restaurant and one day I started to go in for dinner and noticed the new sign they placed on the door - No coloureds allowed am I supposed to ignore it and go on in?
It is now obvious the Bezos have a different political bent than I, and I choose not to show my support for their wrong headedness. I wouldn't patronize their fictitious restaurant, I wont patronize their real life on-line business.
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