Jeff Bezos donates $2 Billion to Build Preschools and Fight Homelessness

The writer here praises Bezos yet also questions his actions in making his fortune.

This is, of course, ultimately for God or karma to judge but one has to always praise such generosity but as the writer here points out this is morally complicated

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By JORDAN WEISSMANN

Billionaire acts of philanthropy can often be half-baked or blatantly self-aggrandizing—like Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million misadventure with Newark’s schools, or the time Steve Schwarzman offered his old high school $25 million to rename itself after him and hang his portrait on the wall. Jeff Bezos’ first major step towards giving away part of his riches, thankfully, appears to be neither. On Thursday, the Amazon founder announced on Twitter that he and his wife MacKenzie would pour $2 billion into a new organization, the Bezos Day One Fund, to combat homelessness and create a network of preschools for lower-income children. While there are lots of unanswered questions about the details, the move seems like a promising and soundly straightforward attempt to help America’s poor.

Even if it is, that doesn’t mean Bezos should be celebrated uncritically for his generosity. Whenever a massive fortune is used to do good, it can’t help but raise questions about how that fortune was made in the first place. And the timing of Bezos’ new venture is especially fraught, given Amazon’s recent role in killing a tax that Seattle lawmakers had hoped would fund the city’s own anti-homelessness efforts. It’s simultaneously smart philanthropy and a symptom what’s ailing our country to begin with.

Even though I am one of Bezoz' biggest critics, I say its always a good thing if needy people are helped.

Judge for yourself

a reply to: Willtell

So 8 days of profit for him..

great guy..

a reply to: Willtell
Jeff Bezos donates $2 Billion to Build Preschools and Fight Homelessness

There see, he's not all that bad is he.

💥🎻💥

Nvm

a reply to: Willtell

I don't care why he is doing it, as long as the money helps to come close to achieving it's intended goal.

Not sure why some people would poo-poo the idea just because of who is behind it.

originally posted by: Fallingdown
That boys and girls is why you don't smoke pot.

It might cause you to become a billionaire and want to build preschools with some of the money?

Well, I think more people need to get chiefy then.

And when did he smoke pot? Are you thinking of Musk?

a reply to: introvert

I don't care why he is doing it, as long as the money helps to come close to achieving it's intended goal.

oh i'm quite sure that will be money well spent on some high quality indoctrination of children.

AI is God
Microchip implants are good
privacy is dangerous

a reply to: Willtell


God Bless he and his wife for doing something good.

a reply to: introvert

I agree with you. When a person does such good one has to give them props

If he's doing it for suspect motives, well then still his money is good

a reply to: Willtell

So, he is going to fund existing and new programs through his Fund. That's good, if these "programs" actually help more than just a handful while lining the pockets of so-called charitable organizations that mainly use his $$$ to "fund" their administrative costs, travel, and salaries. But, what the heck! Tax write-offs for everybody! And maybe a few folks are helped along the way.

Then there are the cradle-to-grave schools, Montessori style, where children can be "programmed" exactly as needed. That is definitely a good thing for Amazon, and at the same time the child gets special attention, learns the Day One mindset, and learns to adopt Amazon's principles (whatever they are).

And, he's doing all of this in "under-served communities". I wonder if a child will be able to check out at any point along the way, if he/she begins to feel as if they are being turned into some kind of Amazon-programmed slave.

Bezos says he wants to directly control the schools’ operation so that they can be run like Amazon and adopt Amazon’s principles. “Most important among those will be genuine, intense customer obsession,” he writes. “The child will be the customer.”

Day One Fund

Sounds good on the surface. Let's be optimistic that his new tax write off will actually benefit others without harming them in the long run. I'm sure studies will commence and reports made.

originally posted by: smkymcnugget420
a reply to: introvert

I don't care why he is doing it, as long as the money helps to come close to achieving it's intended goal.

oh i'm quite sure that will be money well spent on some high quality indoctrination of children.

AI is God
Microchip implants are good
privacy is dangerous

Why are you sure of that?

originally posted by: Willtell
a reply to: introvert


If he's doing it for suspect motives, well then still his money is good

Money is never good with suspected motives behind it

originally posted by: Willtell
a reply to: introvert

I agree with you. When a person does such good one has to give them props

If he's doing it for suspect motives, well then still his money is good

Stuff like this happens all of the time.

People donate large sums of money to hospitals and such in exchange for the new "wing" being named after them.

After a little time, no one cares who it was named for, but they are glad the new wings or centers are built and that people are receiving the care they need.

I'm sure this will be similar n nature and I do not find any reason to bust Bezos' balls over something like this. In fact, we should probably be thankful he is willing to do something for kids and the homeless.

Lord knows the naysayers on ATS and elsewhere are not putting up $2 billion of their money to do jack #.

a reply to: introvert

All the money of all ATSers doesn't amount to 2 billion let alone one person

originally posted by: Willtell
The writer here praises Bezos yet also questions his actions in making his fortune.

This is, of course, ultimately for God or karma to judge but one has to always praise such generosity but as the writer here points out this is morally complicated

link

By JORDAN WEISSMANN

Billionaire acts of philanthropy can often be half-baked or blatantly self-aggrandizing—like Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million misadventure with Newark’s schools, or the time Steve Schwarzman offered his old high school $25 million to rename itself after him and hang his portrait on the wall. Jeff Bezos’ first major step towards giving away part of his riches, thankfully, appears to be neither. On Thursday, the Amazon founder announced on Twitter that he and his wife MacKenzie would pour $2 billion into a new organization, the Bezos Day One Fund, to combat homelessness and create a network of preschools for lower-income children. While there are lots of unanswered questions about the details, the move seems like a promising and soundly straightforward attempt to help America’s poor.

Even if it is, that doesn’t mean Bezos should be celebrated uncritically for his generosity. Whenever a massive fortune is used to do good, it can’t help but raise questions about how that fortune was made in the first place. And the timing of Bezos’ new venture is especially fraught, given Amazon’s recent role in killing a tax that Seattle lawmakers had hoped would fund the city’s own anti-homelessness efforts. It’s simultaneously smart philanthropy and a symptom what’s ailing our country to begin with.

Even though I am one of Bezoz' biggest critics, I say its always a good thing if needy people are helped.

Judge for yourself

What specifically did Bezo's do that make the writer question his actions in building Amazon. He makes it seems like Bezo's forcibly makes people use Amazon.

It isn't like RJ Reynolds building a cancer ward or something....

Yay get them when they are youngest, preschool.. I wonder how much mind control/brainwashing 2 billion can buy.

a reply to: Edumakated

I don’t consider Bezos evil like a Hitler or one of the robber barons anything like that and he has made his money legally and within the capitalist system fairly, though ruthlessly, and his labor practices are not too kosher.

But he has made his billions legally and within the system.

This is good news.

I would like to see him pay his employees a little better

a reply to: introvert

Yup I was thinking musk .

a reply to: Willtell

On the face..hey this looks admirable...but lets look at what hes doing to an entire industry with his purchase of Whole Foods and his proposed and almost completed Infinity Initiative:

Whole Foods proposal was they would curtail and remove all Sales Reps, Territory sales managers etc...for healthfood/supplement manufacturers from their stores effective July 2018, with the intention those jobs would be lost/removed. In return said manufacturers would be compelled to offer Whole foods an additional 10% discount from wholesale damn near approaching 40-50% prior, including free fills, for new stores and new products.

This enabled them to drive independent small businesses out of business and essentially put 10s of thousands of advanced degreed and below people out of work.

F@#% Bezos, hes doing this to get his hooks and controls into the people he just dumped onto skid row.