MSNBC host and guest say it's white privilege to worry about inflation and gas prices while blacks are worried about being killed by cops



An MSNBC host and a guest opined that only privileged white people worry about inflation and gas prices while blacks have to worry about being killed by police officers while going to work every day.

Zerlina Maxwell was interviewing Kurt Bardella, a Democratic adviser and former publicist for Breitbart News, when the comments were made.

"Inflation, it's almost a privilege to care about inflation as your number one issue, uh, the same is true of gas prices, or even the idea that it's the economy stupid," Maxwell said, referring to the famous slogan from the Bill Clinton presidential campaign.

"I always found that analysis lacking, because as a black person, I don't wanna get killed on the way to my job.

"So I'm glad I have a job, I'm glad I make a living wage, but if I can't be alive, then what does that other stuff matter? I mean, speak to the idea that some of this stuff is existential in the minds of the Democratic base, in a way that is maybe not for the middle of the country, the so-called middle, or even more conservative-leaning voters."

Maxwell didn't explain what she meant by blacks being killed on the way to work, but Bardella specifically cited blacks being killed by police and added victims of global warming.

"Yeah, listen if you just lost your house because of a flood in Kentucky, if you just lost your livelihood because it burnt down in a wildfire, if you just lost your life because you're the wrong color and you're pulled over somewhere, inflation doesn't really matter to you, or to your loved ones," Bardella said.

"There are so much broader things going on right now in this country that affects so many demographics, that the dollars to cents case that has been made time and again, like you said, it's the economy stupid, there's a blind spot there, and you'll notice that the majority of people who make that statement are generally white," he added.

"There's a real reckoning going on in America right now," Bardella concluded.

Bardella worked for Breitbart News before becoming a Democrat and later worked as a senior advisor to the disgraced Lincoln Project organization.

Here's the full video of the segment:

How Can Dems Keep Their Majority? | Zerlina.www.youtube.com

Amazon is adding a 'fuel and inflation surcharge'



This past Wednesday, Amazon announced that for the first time in the company’s history, it will be charging sellers a “5% fuel and inflation surcharge.”

According to CNN Business, the new fee is being imposed because “inflation has worsened significantly in recent months.”

In a company-wide memo, Amazon said, “In 2022, we expected to return to normalcy as Covid-19 restrictions around the world eased, but fuel and inflation have presented further challenges.”

“It is unclear if these inflationary costs will go up or down, or how long they will persist,” the company said.

Patrick Graham, a spokesperson for the company, said that the fee surcharge applies only to fee rates paid by sellers that choose to use Amazon’s fulfillment services. These services include the storage, packing, and shipping of products.

Reportedly, sellers who do not use Amazon’s fulfillment services will not be impacted.

Amazon’s fee is the latest example of how businesses are reacting to soaring energy costs and the general increased cost of goods and services due to inflation.

Last month, Lyft — the popular ridesharing service —announced that it was adding a surcharge of 55 cents to each ride given in order to offset the surging price of gasoline.

ABC News reported that all of the money being generated through this surcharge will be given directly back to Lyft’s drivers and that it would remain in place for “at least the next 60 days.”

In mid-March, Uber announced a similar initiative to that of their competitor. Uber announced that it would tack on a 45 to 55 cent surcharge on all of its rides and add a 35 to 45 cent surcharge on all Uber Eats deliveries.

However, drivers said the surcharge reimbursements they would be receiving from their employers weren’t enough.

According to a blog from “The Rideshare Guy,” 43% of Uber and Lyft drivers said they were driving less or quitting their rideshare gigs because of the rising cost of fuel.

These rising costs, and the little relief drivers received, prompted them to organize a protest in front of Uber’s Manhattan headquarters.

The new surcharge Amazon is implementing on its sellers could trickle down and affect consumers as retailers seek to pass along the rising cost of hosting their businesses on Amazon.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that suppliers raised their prices by 11.2% in March as inflation raised 8.5% year-over-year.

In the company-wide memo, Amazon said, “Like many, we have experienced significant cost increases and absorbed them, wherever possible, to reduce the impact on our selling partners. When we did increase fees, we were focused on addressing permanent costs and ensuring our fees were competitive with those of other service providers.”