Trump’s Top Economic Adviser Says Amazon Threats Are ‘Not In My Lane’

[RoosGirl]

President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, says it’s not his job to weigh in on his boss’ repeated threats against private e-commerce company Amazon.

“That’s not in my lane,” Kudlow, who chairs the White House’s National Economic Council, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “I can’t really comment specifically. I haven’t looked at that.”

“Well it comes under the National Economic Council, doesn’t it?” asked host George Stephanopoulos.

“Well, I suppose so,” Kudlow responded. “I haven’t really been involved in that discussion. Look, the president is a man of many opinions. It’s up to him. He may be carrying the ball. I can’t really comment on it.”

Continued-

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-amazon-larry-kudlow_us_5b01807fe4b0463cdba35548

[edpc]

Kudlow would know lanes - life in the fast lane.  There were lines on the mirror, lines on her face.

[Victoria33]

@Cyber Liberty

Dictator Trump wants to double the amount of Amazon postage; that hurts everyone who needs to, or wants to, buy from Amazon. Dictator Trump through Sessions is going to limit the amount of opioids a company can make so there won't be enough to fill a doctor's prescription - that affects everyone who needs them. This Dictator Trump administration is a dictatorship taking away the freedom of companies to sell their products as they want and the freedom of customers trying to buy those products. Dictator Trump doesn't care about what hurts people - he only cares about himself, as in, "Look at me, I won over the owner of Amazon whom I hate!  Look at me, I won the war against drugs - less prescriptions filled by pharmacies!"  Dictator Trump.

[driftdiver]

@Cyber Liberty

Dictator Trump wants to double the amount of Amazon postage; that hurts everyone who needs to, or wants to, buy from Amazon. Dictator Trump through Sessions is going to limit the amount of opioids a company can make so there won't be enough to fill a doctor's prescription - that affects everyone who needs them. This Dictator Trump administration is a dictatorship taking away the freedom of companies to sell their products as they want and the freedom of customers trying to buy those products. Dictator Trump doesn't care about what hurts people - he only cares about himself, as in, "Look at me, I won over the owner of Amazon whom I hate!  Look at me, I won the war against drugs - less prescriptions filled by pharmacies!"  Dictator Trump.

@Victoria33
Good grief its really time to take a deep breath.

The post office gave Amazon a price which is below their cost.   That means the taxpayer is currently paying part of the delivery cost for every Amazon package delivered.

Only a lunatic would want that to continue.

[edpc]

Everyone in the package business gets the same deal.  Amazon just benefits most, due to business volume. 

"We never said Amazon is getting a $1.50 subsidy," Citi analyst Christian Wetherbee told Business Insider on Monday in a discussion of misinterpretations of the report, which actually says the loss per package is roughly $1.46 for the USPS.

Wetherbee continued: "If you read what that number is, it's the total package business is priced below cost. It has nothing to do with Amazon specifically."

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-slips-up-in-amazon-post-office-war-2018-4

[kevindavis007]

@Victoria33
Good grief its really time to take a deep breath.

The post office gave Amazon a price which is below their cost.   That means the taxpayer is currently paying part of the delivery cost for every Amazon package delivered.

Only a lunatic would want that to continue.

Sorry, the only reason why Trump is after Amazon, is that Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.

[driftdiver]

Everyone in the package business gets the same deal.  Amazon just benefits most, due to business volume. 

"We never said Amazon is getting a $1.50 subsidy," Citi analyst Christian Wetherbee told Business Insider on Monday in a discussion of misinterpretations of the report, which actually says the loss per package is roughly $1.46 for the USPS.

Wetherbee continued: "If you read what that number is, it's the total package business is priced below cost. It has nothing to do with Amazon specifically."

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-slips-up-in-amazon-post-office-war-2018-4

@edpc
So you're ok with the taxpayers subsidizing package delivery?

[edpc]

Sorry, the only reason why Trump is after Amazon, is that Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.

Plus, the envy factor - he’s 20X richer.

[driftdiver]

Sorry, the only reason why Trump is after Amazon, is that Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.

@kevindavis
And what is the only reason the Washington Post is after Trump?

hmmm?

Next you're gonna say the Washington Post is the poster child for journalistic integrity.   

 

[RoosGirl]

@Victoria33
Good grief its really time to take a deep breath.

The post office gave Amazon a price which is below their cost.   That means the taxpayer is currently paying part of the delivery cost for every Amazon package delivered.

Only a lunatic would want that to continue.

Sorry, that's not even true.  USPS is not allowed, by law, to charge below their cost.

[WingNot]

Kudlow would know lanes - life in the fast lane.  There were lines on the mirror, lines on her face.

Surely make you lose your mind.

[txradioguy]

@Victoria33
Good grief its really time to take a deep breath.

The post office gave Amazon a price which is below their cost.   That means the taxpayer is currently paying part of the delivery cost for every Amazon package delivered.

Only a lunatic would want that to continue.

@driftdiver @Victoria33

Right because the USPS should cut off the ONLY profitable portion of their business model...express shipping.

Taxpayers aren't paying crap to fund anything with Amazon.  The money Amazon spends with the postal service is such an amount that the profit the USPS makes from their express shipping pays for other non profitable portions of postal delivery...like rural delivery.

In recent years, the Postal Service’s salvation has been in providing the last mile to large package delivery companies on less than urgent shipments. This means that Fedex, UPS and others can drop packages at your local post office and the Postal Service sends those out with your letter carrier.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/03/30/trumps-got-it-all-wrong-about-amazon.html

"We never said Amazon is getting a $1.50 subsidy," Citi analyst Christian Wetherbee told Business Insider on Monday in a discussion of misinterpretations of the report, which actually says the loss per package is roughly $1.46 for the USPS.

Wetherbee continued:

The Citi report did find that the USPS' current pricing model is "unsustainable," as the USPS continues to bleed money that it needs to invest in benefits and other things such as new delivery vehicles. The Citi report estimated that a USPS price hike that would put the USPS on more even playing ground with competitors such as FedEx and UPS would cost Amazon $2.6 billion annually.

"Their business has been built, almost, on the back of this pricing model," Wetherbee said.

"Whether they're taking advantage of it or not," Wetherbee continued, "or just being astute players in the market and taking advantage of the cost arbitration, they are the ones who have probably leveraged it the most."

In other words, despite Trump's argument, Amazon is far from the only company that's getting an especially good deal from the USPS as the postal service bleeds cash. However, Amazon is shipping far more packages than other companies — meaning it is also saving much more money.

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-slips-up-in-amazon-post-office-war-2018-4

[driftdiver]

Sorry, that's not even true.  USPS is not allowed, by law, to charge below their cost.

@RoosGirl
She shoots ANNNNDDDD MISSES the net by a mile

[driftdiver]

@driftdiver @Victoria33

Right because the USPS should cut off the ONLY profitable portion of their business model...express shipping.

Taxpayers aren't paying crap to fund anything with Amazon.  The money Amazon spends with the postal service is such an amount that the profit the USPS makes from their express shipping pays for other non profitable portions of postal delivery...like rural delivery.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/03/30/trumps-got-it-all-wrong-about-amazon.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-slips-up-in-amazon-post-office-war-2018-4

@txradioguy
You musta went to a good socialist school.  Cause if it costs more to do something then  you can charge for it then the difference is not a profit.

[txradioguy]

The post office kerfuffle is just another case where we have to take the President seriously but not literally.

Kudlow is saying it's not his lane to avoid being the target of a twitter rant by Trump.

As an economic advisor it is very much his lane to advice the President on things like this and to correct him when he's wrong.

[edpc]

@edpc
So you're ok with the taxpayers subsidizing package delivery?

I’m OK with someone using a deal to maximum benefit within the law.  It’s not Amazon’s fault Congress booted it.  If they want to change it, fine, but we’re not owed anything.

[driftdiver]

I’m OK with someone using a deal to maximum benefit within the law.  It’s not Amazon’s fault Congress booted it.  If they want to change it, fine, but we’re not owed anything.

@edpc
You NTs bitch and moan about everything Trump.  he doesn't do this in a day, he didn't do that.     He's pointing out that Amazon (among others) is getting a huge benefit that is screwing the taxpayers and you folks defend the leftists.

Yes you defend the leftists.   Now inquiring minds find that curious and wonder why on earth you would defend the fleecing of taxpayers.

[driftdiver]

I'm gonna go order a bunch off stuff from Amazon.  Thats everyone for paying my shipping costs.   Its much appreciated.

[kevindavis007]

@edpc
You NTs bitch and moan about everything Trump.  he doesn't do this in a day, he didn't do that.     He's pointing out that Amazon (among others) is getting a huge benefit that is screwing the taxpayers and you folks defend the leftists.

Yes you defend the leftists.   Now inquiring minds find that curious and wonder why on earth you would defend the fleecing of taxpayers.

Yes god forbid we question the moron moves by the Dear Leader. Amazon did nothing wrong or illegal. I'll say this again, the only reason that Trump is after Amazon cause Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.

[txradioguy]

@txradioguy
You musta went to a good socialist school.  Cause if it costs more to do something then  you can charge for it then the difference is not a profit.

Nope.  I just paid attention in school when it came to economics. 

The Post Office set up the crappy business model.  It's not Amazon's nor any other online retailer's fault and they shouldn't be punished or excoriated for taking advantage of the current business model the USPS has going.

Especially when it's the only profitable part of the postal system these days.

It's the same business model for shipping that Trump took advantage of with Trump Steaks

If Jeff Bezos was the CEO of any other online sales company Trump would still come after him and bash the company.  In reality this has nothing to do with economics or the postal service.

Trumps rage isn't about Amazon...it's about Bezos and the crappy coverage Trump gets in the Washington Post.

[RoosGirl]

@RoosGirl
She shoots ANNNNDDDD MISSES the net by a mile

@driftdiver

Well, you can read it right from the USPS.  If you don't believe me, maybe you'll believe what the CFO of the USPS has to say about it.

USPS CFO responds to Wall Street Journal article

August 01, 2017

Dear Editor,

While Josh Sandbulte gets some things right about the Postal Service in his self-serving opinion piece “Why the Post Office Gives Amazon Special Delivery” (July 14): he provides an inaccurate and unfair account of the package delivery side of our business.

By law our competitive package products, including those that we deliver for Amazon, must cover their costs. Our regulator, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), looks carefully at this question every year and has determined that they do. The PRC has also noted that competitive products help fund the infrastructure of the Postal Service. It is that infrastructure that enables us to fulfill our universal service obligation to deliver to each and every address in the United States at an affordable rate.

The PRC has also concluded every year that products covered by the letter monopoly do not cross-subsidize the Postal Service’s competitive products. The reason we continue to attract e-commerce customers and business partners is because our customers see the value of our predictable service, enhanced visibility, and competitive pricing.

Despite our achievements in improving operational efficiency and growing revenue, we cannot overcome systemic financial imbalances caused by legal and other constraints. For instance, the Postal Service’s ability to adjust prices of products that produce over 70 percent of our revenue is restrained by an austere price cap that does not take changes in Postal Service volumes and costs into account, and hence is wholly unsuitable to ensuring the Postal Service’s continued ability to provide prompt and reliable universal services in a self-sufficient manner.

There is a path forward that depends upon the passage of provisions in H.R. 756 postal reform bill, combined with a favorable outcome of the PRC’s 10-year pricing system review and continued innovation and aggressive management actions.

With that, the Postal Service can meet all its obligations and continue to provide the service that all Americans, including those “traditional retailers,” deserve.

Sincerely,

Joseph Corbett
Chief Financial Officer
United States Postal Service
Washington, DC

http://about.usps.com/news/statements/080117.htm

[txradioguy]

I'm gonna go order a bunch off stuff from Amazon.  Thats everyone for paying my shipping costs.   Its much appreciated.

I have Prime so my shipping is free.

And all you're doing is paying for someone who lives at the end of a dirt road in Floyds Knob, Kentucky to get their mail as cheaply as someone in Louisville.

[Oceander]

@Victoria33
Good grief its really time to take a deep breath.

The post office gave Amazon a price which is below their cost.   That means the taxpayer is currently paying part of the delivery cost for every Amazon package delivered.

Only a lunatic would want that to continue.

No, it did not.  In fact, the post office is legally barred from charging below its cost. 

[RoosGirl]

No, it did not.  In fact, the post office is legally barred from charging below its cost.

Yeah, I told him that.  He won't believe you.  I posted proof in the form of a statement directly from the USPS saying such.  But no, this is NT's fault for bitching about everything Trump does.   

[driftdiver]

I have Prime so my shipping is free.

And all you're doing is paying for someone who lives at the end of a dirt road in Floyds Knob, Kentucky to get their mail as cheaply as someone in Louisville.

@txradioguy
Free, yes indeed.  Bernie says a lot of things are free