Ok, help me out here re: the tax bill

[Orrex]

AT&T, Comcast say GOP tax bill will mean $1,000 bonuses for employees

AT&T said Wednesday that it plans to invest an additional $1 billion into its U.S. networks in 2018 and give hundreds of thousands of employees a one-time bonus after the passage of the Republican-led tax bill in Congress.

From WAPO and elsewhere.

So what the fuck are we supposed to do about this? I've seen this story used as a bludgeon in half a dozen online discussions already, and those idiot racist fuckheads see it as proof positive that Trump is God incarnate come to save us from the Obama legacy.

Faced with the cold fact of this immediate benefit of the tax bill, what can we possibly say that will convince those stupid fucking cultists that this bill is a disaster?

Frankly they're not going to care that billionaires are profiting hugely, as long as they can point to this story and say "see? it's working?" They also won't care about future disasters resulting from this fuckery, because they'll just blame it on Democrats as they've always done in the past.

One suspects, in fact, that this "bonus" gimmick is specifically calculated to undermine criticism of the bill. So where does that leave us?

on edit: AT&T and Comcast are only two so far. I've seen several others following suit, such as Wells Fargo and Fifth Third.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. The entire bill is designed to make the masses happy in 2018...

Next month a lot of paychecks will be a little larger, "proving" that it helps the little guy.

Not much we can do about it. Various media has been talking itself hoarse about it, and no one's reading or listening to "fake news". The people hurt by losing Obamacare or CHIP have little or no voice.

The good news is that the tide is changing and by next November Trump's disastrous numbers could take down the worst Republicans.

[JHB]

2. Well since the corporate tax cut is permanent, why not a raise?

That was the selling point, wasn't it? That the tax cut will allow companies to pay their employees more? So why a one-time bonus?

Why not $1000 raises, so the employees will get the money every year, just like the company gets its tax break every year?

Use that as a counterpoint, for all the good it will do with the elephant people.

A one-shot is a PR stunt. And, one has to wonder, if this isn't like so many other Trump "benefits": things the company was planning to do anyway, but are spinning it as due to Trump, for PR and because Prima Donnie needs his head patted for being a good boy, and can throw tantrums when he doesn't get it.

[Orrex]

4. Thanks--that sounds like the best response.

[Cary]

3. Remain calm

Have you seen approval of $$$Republicans improving yet?

[DeminPennswoods]

5. Tell them to look at Comcast's fees going up again in Jan

Comcast decided a least 2-3 (or more) years ago to starting competing in the wireless market. That's when they changed their brand name to "Xfinity". They made that business decision while Obama was still president.

Also, I read somewhere that the bonuses ATT is handing out are part of their negotiated union contract.

Further, the reason companies give bonuses is because they don't count toward any future employee benefits like social security or pension calculations. And a lot of companies are, and have been, sitting on piles of cash for years now.

[still_one]

6. It would be nice if AT&T just offerred basic customer service, instead of the joke they call

customer support.

I have been with AT&T for a long time, and their customer support has been going down hill, to the degree that it is almost worthless.

I cannot tell you how many times they have over-charged me. I am very close to moving everything to T-Mobile

So glad that the AT&T and T-Mobile merger was never allowed to happen.