Image by Getty Images via @daylifeToday's Evil Hamster is a career politician named Jerry Brown. They call him Governor here in California. I call him Evil Hamster of the day. Now I know that calling career politicians evil hamsters can be an oxymoron, however, there are, I m sure, many public officials who are ethical and do what is right.In this particular case, I am angry. Here is why:
Wed. 6/29/11, at 12:24 PM California time, I received this email:
Hello,For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of California residents. Unfortunately, a potential new law that may be signed by Governor Brown compels us to terminate this program for California-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers - including but not limited to those referred by California-based marketing affiliates like you - even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state. We oppose this bill because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It is supported by big-box retailers, most of which are based outside California, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that we must take this action. As a result, we will terminate contracts with all California residents that are participants in the Amazon Associates Program as of the date (if any) that the California law becomes effective. We will send a follow-up notice to you confirming the termination date if the California law is enacted. In the event that the California law does not become effective before September 30, 2011, we withdraw this notice. As of the termination date, California residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned on or before the termination date will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule. You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of California. If you are not currently a resident of California, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here. And if you relocate to another state in the near future please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program. To avoid confusion, we would like to clarify that this development will only impact our ability to offer the Associates Program to California residents and will not affect their ability to purchase from Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com. We have enjoyed working with you and other California-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to California residents. We are also working on alternative ways to help California residents monetize their websites and we will be sure to contact you when these become available. Regards, The Amazon Associates Team |
Hello, Unfortunately, Governor Brown has signed into law the bill that we emailed you about earlier today. As a result of this, contracts with all California residents participating in the Amazon Associates Program are terminated effective today, June 29, 2011. Those California residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned before today will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule. You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of California. If you are not currently a resident of California, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here. And if you relocate to another state in the near future please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program. To avoid confusion, we would like to clarify that this development will only impact our ability to offer the Associates Program to California residents and will not affect your ability to purchase from Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com. We have enjoyed working with you and other California-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to California residents. As mentioned before, we are continuing to work on alternative ways to help California residents monetize their websites and we will be sure to contact you when these become available. Regards, The Amazon Associates Team Hey, thanks guys, cutting off the income of over 10,000 people in just under 9 hours is pretty damn impressive. I will be honest, since all I know about this issue is what you see that I learned yesterday. However, I do know that if a person in Texas visits one of my sites, clicks an Amazon link, and buys that product, he or she is paying the sales tax in Washington, where Amazon is based. I can see why Amazon does not want to double tax their customers, so essentially, with 9 hours to fight back (remember: you can't even get out of the fricken DMV in 9 hours), 10,000 amazon associates have lost, in many cases, a major source of income. Personally, mine was minor, but I feel the pain for the others. Do you know what they do with real sick people, send them to the overcrowd and underfunded General Hospitals. Do you know what jail intake mental staff do for mentally ill patients? Stop all and any medication, let them suffer through withdraw, and then treat whatever symptoms arise. If the patient survives. Police are overburdened and going from call to call. That is why you have to call in your own theft reports to a secretary to have a report filed. Should I even elaborate on the state of social security, welfare, or border patrol, let alone airport security. No, I'll try to shorten this by saying that the examples above are to inform you that all of the money you pay in sales taxes, income taxes, inheritance taxes, estate taxes, capital gains taxes, and every other damn tax they rename as fees or Mello-roos, etc. are in place to make the above listed institutions great, not impotent images of their intended purpose. Instead, these very institutions suffer, whether your taxes go up or down.........the rich.........they seem to stay the same. I'll stop pontificating on a situation in which I am unsure about who really caused this mess. All I can say is that someone or some group have now hurt thousands of business owners in this state. That is the last thing we need right now, and you and your buddies are now officially Evil Hamsters. To those that have lost a great deal of income. I pray you can make it up quick with other avenues. Oh, and since I like to laugh, here are a few pics of our brand spanking new Governor Moonbeam:      Lastly: Amazon, if this is somehow your fault......your next.....and I will be vicious. Keith Pilat |
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