Who died and made him Santa?

I think it's super that CNN's Van Jones and Spanish chef José Andrés are going to use the money to help others. They're class acts. But my issue is-huh? What? Oh, the one hundred million dollars Jeff Bezos is giving them. Each. 

"Bring me the chef known as José Andrés and the one they call Van Jones.
They please me and so shall they be rewarded. This I command."

-Bezos the Wealthy, First of His Name,

Lord of Low Orbit and Evader of Taxes

Maybe one of them will
buy him a better hat.

The prize, which Jeff Bezos just made up and is not in any way damage control for the backlash against his rich people space tourism initiative, is called the Courage and Civility Award. The recipients can do whatever they want with it, he said at the press conference (the one with the hat) he held shortly after returning from space, which again, is unrelated to this. "They can give it all to their own charity, or they can share they wealth. It's up to them."

And that's great. According to Andrés, he's already planning to use the money for his World Central Kitchen organization that feeds communities facing disasters, gives grants to farmers, and just generally makes the world a better place. 

I suppose there's some symmetry in the organization getting funding
from the very same capitalism run amok that is responsible for
for causing many of the disasters whose victims they service.

What? He's got hundreds of billions of
dollars,  you don't think he moisturizes?

Anyway, my problem here, as I whinged on about yesterday, is that Bezos doesn't pay taxes, he exploits his workers, and he waves new distribution centers in front of cities who then fight over who can give Amazon the most concessions. Sure, it's great he's "sharing the wealth," and I'm sure Van Jones and José Andrés are going to help tons of people. But money is power and way too much of it is in Jeff Bezos's smooth, un-callused hands. And it shouldn't be. That's what taxes are for.

Two puppies enter, one puppy leaves.
Puppy Dome, a Prime Video exclusive.

Ok, that's not what they're for. They're for roads and schools and things, but they also have the effect of making sure that we're a democracy and not an oligarchy--which, holy shit, we are an oligarchy and have been for decades. Look, what I'm saying is that it's a broken system when someone can accumulate that much wealth and then make hand outs only to the people and causes they prefer. Again, nothing against Jones and Andrés, but what if Bezos decides one day that he wants to support puppy fights. Like, forcing puppies to fight for sport. He can do it.

Fine, I don't really think Jeff Bezos is pro-puppy murder, but the point is he could be or the people he deems worthy of his totally not hastily thrown together Courage and Civility Award could be. And let's not lose sight of the fact that to someone with two hundred and three billion dollars, two hundred million is like what he finds in his couch cushions. I'm not trying to be a dick-shaped rocket here, I just don't think he's a hero for evading taxes, hoarding wealth and then throwing around (comparative) chump change to take the stink off.

Pictured: Jeff Bezos (in a much better hat), handing out
money shortly before gassing the assembled crowd.