Fascinating article and report blaming Amazon for “stifling competition, eroding jobs, and threatening communities.” That’s a pretty big accusation. Are those things really attributable to Amazon? I have never found blaming to be helpful unless I just want to bitch and moan. Somehow that might make me feel better for a moment especially if I want to pass off my own responsibility in the matter.
The report was very slanted and anti-Amazon. Are they really suggesting that innovations such as all that Amazon has done should be rejected? That sounds like what someone would say when the printing press was created. After all, that put the scribes out of business! Would we really like to go back in time before the printing press? Are we saying Amazon’s “cloud computing infrastructure” should not be allowed? The government itself uses this. You most likely are benefiting as well. If you utilize and benefit from this tool in any way, are you responsible for the downfall of the brick and mortars? Then we are all most likely complicit! Life is more complicated than pointing fingers at Amazon.
“The report states that Amazon’s business model does not produce jobs…” Is it Amazon’s job or any company’s job to create more jobs? If you run a business, are you creating jobs? “… the brick and mortar retailers driven out of business…” Is it Amazon’s job or any other company’s job to make sure that all businesses stick around?
I am sorry things change. I am sorry things come and go. I am sorry things get tough. Life is like that, isn’t it? If everything was easy, we would never grow and thrive and learn. Do we really want to shut off change?
The hard part in all of this is that we are talking about people: friends, family, and neighbors.
Okay, what is the report suggesting we do to remedy this situation? “Divide Amazon into separate firms…” This reminds me of the scene in the movie, “Atlas Shrugged,” when the government agents forced the breakup of Reardon Steel companies. If you follow the fall-out from this action, you realize that the only benefactors of this action are the government cronies.
Let’s force the government agents to do what we want so we can stay in business so that we can be protected so that the big bad business owners cannot stay in business so that we can stay in business. Somehow this does not make sense to me. It seems everyone is fighting for the same thing… they want to stay in business. Whoever gets the support of the government agents wins. Since when does doing the same thing ever create a different outcome?
Are we really blaming Amazon for dying communities such as Hamilton?
Honestly, please tell me what I am missing here.
Does anyone else feel played?
Chris Martin
Hamilton