Amazon Affiliate Program - thanks for the memories

I don't like to talk politics on this blog (much), because we all have different ideas, and it's really not why I'm writing it. I believe that even though people disagree about the way to solve the world's problems, political beliefs are really not the most important factor in human relationships - but since not everybody feels the same way, it's not a nerve I feel is worth touching.

So I'm warning you now - this is a strongly-worded post about California and our universally despised elected officials, and you can skip it if you want.

Thanks to the greedy, ineffective, and corrupt California legislature, who will never be happy until they steal every single penny out of the pockets of hard-working Californians, the Amazon Affiliate program for Californians has been cancelled.

California’s legislature passed a new sales tax, to be collected from online retailers that have affiliates in the state. In reaction to this, Amazon announced they are ending relationships with their California affiliates to avoid having to collect the tax from customers.

It is unconstitutional to force Amazon to collect sales tax as long as Amazon has no physical presence in the state. Affiliates, like me, live in California. To keep costs down for everybody, Amazon killed the affiliate program so the law won't apply.

This law was lobbied for by Target and Walmart, of course. Our smarmy legislature will always do the best for whoever lines their pockets, and they have demonstrated over and over that they don't care about the people they are supposed to represent. Due to their petty interference, tens of thousands of small businesses and micro-businesses, like mine, are now gone.

Now, I didn't make a fortune on this. I didn't work very hard at it, mostly because I don't want to inundate my readers with appeals to buy this or that. However, I did make a few hundred dollars a year - enough so that I had a nice little nest egg at Christmas time. You know what I did with that money? I spent it right back at Amazon - on gifts. It was wonderful to have that little bonus and not have to worry about taking money away from medication and copays and gas to get to and from chemo in order to buy my family Christmas presents.

Now that nest egg is gone. Way to take support Californians, Jerry Brown and the rest of you elite, greedy, out-of-touch little pricks.

Anyway, I want to thank all of you who purchased items from my Amazon link - I really appreciate it.

If you want to continue to support this blog, please make your next water purchase be Aqua Delight, and tell them I sent you.