Editorial,
National Reviewhttps://www.nationalreview.com/2018/04/trump-amazon-feud-leave-it-alone/. . . Amazon also does not receive any special favors from the United States Postal Service. Trump’s allegation stems from a Citigroup report finding that USPS undercharges for packages in general, not just for Amazon shipments. Further, USPS itself says its relationship with Amazon is profitable, and analysts at Piper Jaffray contend that Amazon would find cheaper shipping elsewhere if USPS raised its rates.
To be sure, these and other Amazon-related policies deserve a debate. Congress should develop a fair way to handle sales taxes on online purchases. The long-ailing Postal Service needs an equitable and sustainable revenue model. And some have called for a major revision of antitrust law undertaken with the tech sector in mind, drawing attention to the aggressive moves that companies such as Amazon and Google have made against their smaller competitors.
We have our own views on these matters. We would tax online sales in the state of the seller, for example, and we would leave the antitrust laws the way they are, as there is no evidence that the tech companies’ behavior is harming consumers. But these policy reevaluations should not take place in the context of a politicized campaign against one company . . .
. . . The reality is that Amazon is a success story of American capitalism. Bezos and his team have revolutionized retail — just as the big-box stores did decades ago — and branched out into numerous other areas as well, reinvesting the money they make in new ventures. This has brought efficiency and high-paying jobs to the U.S. and, yes, seriously challenged older and less efficient retailers.
The company should be celebrated, not targeted for a presidential jeremiad, whatever the Washington Post decides to publish.
---------------------------------------------------------------
I'll say it again, in fewer words than the editorial's final paragraph: Jeff Bezos built a better mousetrap . . . so the cats are ganging up on him.---EA.
