Stop BEZOS Act
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Part of a series on Bernie Sanders. [View Related Entries]
Overview
The Stop BEZOS Act is an abbreviated term for the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act, a proposed tax law introduced by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and California Representative Ro Khanna that would require corporations with 500 or more employees pay a tax on employees receiving government assistance. The act has been seen as a perceived attack on the corporation Amazon and its founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.
Background
On September 5th, 2018, Senator Bernie Sanders and California Rep. Ro Khanna introduced the Stop BEZOS act, which as they say, would "get billionaires off of welfare." The bill aims to offset the immense wealth of corporations like Amazon. For example, as Sanders explains, "The taxpayers in this country should not be subsidizing a guy who’s worth $150 billion, whose wealth is increasing by $260 million every single day." The median annual salary of an Amazon worker in 2017 was $28,446.[1]
Development
Online Reaction
Online, some supported the Stop BEZOS act, both in policy and name. Twitter [2] user @kksteffany tweeted, "Bruhhhhhh, Bernie's bill is literally called the 'Stop BEZOS Act,' which stands for Stop 'Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act.' I am shook and can also relate to this level of petty." The post (shown below, left) received more than 490 retweets and 3,200 likes in 24 hours.
Others believed that the law could be a hazard for employees, who might be fired if the legislation passed. Twitter[3] user @TCoop6231 tweeted (shown below, center), "This law, if passed, would be one of the most regressive pieces of legislation ever passed in the United States. A woman with two kids earning $20K/year gets roughly ~$18K in public assistance. She would get laid off overnight under the 'Stop BEZOS Act'."
Some thought the bill's title did not go far enough. Twitter[4] user @rortybomb tweeted, "Given that Amazon workers literally die in warehouses, why isn't this bombastic, attention-grabbing bill something like the 'Stop Killing Your Workers Act', instead of the 'Let's De Facto Stigmatize Safety Net Programs like Medicaid and SNAP Act'?" The tweet (shown below, right) received more than 90 retweets and 330 likes in 24 hours.
The bill was also discussed on numerous subreddits, including /r/politics,[8] /r/neoliberal,[9] /r/WayOfTheBern,[10] /r/The_Donald [11] and more.
Media Coverage
Numerous media outlets covered the bill including, Vox,[5] Washington Post,[6] Gizmodo[7] and more.
Search Interest
External References
[1] The Verge Bernie Sanders introduces “Stop BEZOS” bill to tax Amazon for underpaying workers
[2] Twitter – @kksteffany's Tweet
[3] Twitter – TCoop6231's Tweet
[4] Twitter – @rortybomb's Tweet
[5] Vox – Bernie Sanders bill targets Jeff Bezos and Amazon’s pay practices
[6] Washington Post – Bernie Sanders introduces ‘Stop BEZOS Act’
[7] Gizmodo – Bernie Sanders Introduces 'Stop BEZOS Act' to End Corporate Welfare to Amazon, Walmart
[8] Reddit – To End Starvation Wages and Kick Billionaires Off Welfare, Sanders Introduces 'Stop BEZOS Act'
[9] Reddit Bernie Sanders Introduces 'Stop BEZOS Act' to End Corporate Welfare to Amazon, Walmart
[10] Reddit – Bruhhhhhh, Bernies bill is literally called the "Stop BEZOS Act," which stands for Stop "Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act." I am shook and can also relate to this level of petty. : WayOfTheBern
[11] Rreddit Okay…Bernie the Cuck is actually doing something good. Im confused about this. He introduced the Stop BEZOS Act that would target Amazon
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