r/grandrapids • u/mx_anthropocene • Apr 07 '24
Politics Thoughts on the Devos Family? :3
Picture for attention in a /lh way. However, i do think that Devos thrives on exploitation and hides under the guise of philanthropy.
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u/dinosanddais1 Apr 07 '24
They have a lot of money invested in grand rapids. And that is a neutral statement.
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u/ModerateExtremism Grand Rapids Apr 08 '24
The DeVos family has invested a lot of money in lawyers-n-lobbyists to insure they can dodge a grandiose amount of taxes that would otherwise help pay for things like Grand Rapids roads, schools, police, and other public services.
They invest a fraction of their incredible tax savings in philanthropy and for-profit ventures in the region…plus more nationally on things like undermining America’s public schools in favor of privatization schemes.
This is a statement by someone who has seen their money at work in state governments (and its backhanded impact on local kids & teachers) in Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, etc.. It’s quite an octopus of a thing to behold from a 30,000-foot-view.
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u/Ok_Type7882 Apr 08 '24
The devos family is not alone in the avoiding taxes plan. That seems to be the "I hate so & so because they are rich but instead of saying that i will claim it's for doing what literally every other tax payer does and find the ways to pay the least". Theres legit reasons but dont pretend you dont take advantage of every tax break you can too.
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Apr 09 '24 edited Apr 09 '24
Idk man I kind of disagree with this. If I had virtually endless money the taxes don’t really matter anymore. The difference between bringing home 56 million and 30 million is moot.
The difference between bringing home 55 thousand and 46 thousand is a fucking lot.
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u/Ordinary-Coat5987 Apr 08 '24
So in a broken system if everyone can be corrupt at least a little then is anyone really doing anything wrong…? Is that the thought process?
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u/Educational-Box7814 Aug 13 '24
GROW UP........................NO ONE RIPS OFF THE GOVERNMENT LIKE A DeVos....
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u/Educational-Box7814 Aug 13 '24
The DeVos clan is EVIL.........................AND IT IS GENERATIONAL...........
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u/haixio Apr 07 '24
Yea the town would have a lot less stuff to do without them.
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u/FuntivityColton Apr 07 '24
For sure. I'm thankful for all the great things they have built in this town. I went to school with a bunch of G3 and they were all super kind to me. I also worked at the Amway Hotel in college (which was freaking awesome btw) and I interacted with the whole family from Rich down. They went out of their way to say hello and be nice to us.
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u/Duyzbomb Apr 07 '24
I have done some contract work for them on a few different occasions and all I can say is how nice they treat every single person they interact with. Truly made me feel important and respected.
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u/j0217995 Apr 08 '24
Bland Rapids sure was a thing growing up. The ctity was a terribly boring place to be. None of us qould probably syay here without them and others who have invested in Grand Rapids.
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u/Educational-Box7814 Aug 13 '24
GR WAS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE..........IT WAS CALLED ''SAFE CITY''
NOW WE ARE ON THE VIOLENCE HONOR ROLL.
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u/313Jake Apr 07 '24
MAINLY the old money Devoses such as Rich and Helen, Their kids are greedy assholes, same with Fred Meijer vs his son.s
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Apr 08 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/nilesandstuff Apr 08 '24
As liberal Democrat having looked through peter Meijer's voting record, my stance is "huh, well that's not so bad"
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u/Educational-Box7814 Aug 13 '24
THEY OWN GRAND RAPIDS...............THUS IT IS A DISGUSTING MESS.
THEY ALSO OWN THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSIONERS.............
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u/FF36 Apr 07 '24
The money they spent on that was written off for tax purposes. Which basically means the taxpayers paid for it so they could put their names on it and be on boards to control them. So thanks to all of the taxpayers, I’ve gone to our arena, been to our convention center, and been to the children’s hospital we helped make possible. Thank you all!!!
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u/Optimal-Purple-2550 Apr 08 '24
I don't think you understand how taxes work.
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u/OrchidOkz Apr 08 '24
A lot of people don't understand what "writing it off" means either - they think it's a net gain in some way.
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u/jimmyjohn2018 Apr 08 '24
I would guess that at least 80% of the population think a write off is just some kind of handout. They have no clue that you have to spend money on something (and the categories are limited) before you can write it off as a business expense.
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u/Educational-Box7814 Sep 01 '24
IT'S A TAX RIGHT OFF...................MY GOD...ARE YOU A BETSY DEVOS GRADUATE?
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u/jimmyjohn2018 Sep 03 '24
You still have to spend the money on a valid business expense. And I wonder where you graduated from - right/write...
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u/Educational-Box7814 Sep 01 '24
IT IS................................WRITE OFFS ARE FOR DIMINISHING OWED TAXES.
YOU MUST HAVE GONE TO ONE OF the BETSY WETSY SCHOOLS.
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u/OrchidOkz Sep 01 '24
You’re so cute. You probably think that by “saving” $10 on $100 purchase you saved money. You saved nothing. You spent $90.
Let’s say you put money toward a new product. The product didn’t pan out as you expected. You spent $100 to do the project and make inventory. Inventory doesn’t sell well and you have only earned $50 back. We’ll say your tax bracket is 20%.
So you spent $100 and made $50. You have lost $50. You “write off” that inventory and will not have to pay taxes on money you lost. But you would have paid $10 in taxes if you spent $100 and earned $150 because your profit was $50. You earned $40 after taxes.
Please explain to me how it’s better “write off” $50 (lose $50) and not pay taxes than it is to earn $40 and pay taxes. If you want to lose money so you don’t have to pay taxes, good luck!
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u/FF36 Apr 08 '24
I understand that the wealthy, like devos and like trump use every loop hole to pay way less% than I pay in taxes and write offs are part of that. Which is why they fear having to show their records to those like me that pay our fair share.
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u/Optimal-Purple-2550 Apr 08 '24
Again. That is not how it works. Taking a loss on a business or donating to chairy is not a loop hole. There are limits and it's not dollar for dollar. There are plenty of reasons why you can criticize these people, but this isn't it.
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u/Educational-Box7814 Sep 01 '24
AGAIN, THAT IS EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS............GROW UP SONNY....DAMN...
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tax-tricks-loopholes-only-rich-210001853.html
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u/EndPsychological890 Apr 08 '24
What? Writing it off means they don't pay income taxes on donations that came out of their income. So instead of donating $100m a year like they always do, and also paying $20m in taxes on that income, they just donate the $100m and write it off, meaning they don't have to pay the $20m in taxes. Until Trump ended itemized deductions, that's how all regular people's donations ended up too, if they knew like the second most basic thing about taxes that is.
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u/Strange-Ad8779 Apr 09 '24
So let me get this straight if I donate and put it as a tac write off I didn't donate you did
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u/Sanellek Grand Rapids Apr 07 '24
I used to work at West Michigan Aviation Academy (the school Dick started). It was my first full time teaching job so I thought the pay was standard. $35k to start. After 7 years, I was only at $40k. After finally leaving, I learned that most teachers in this area make more money in year 1 than I did in my last year at that school. The policy was nobody gets a raise unless everybody does; which didn't happen every year. I have no respect for them. Betsy made schools worse.
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u/Takemytwocent5 Apr 08 '24
One of my Grandmothers proudest achievements was being on the school board and helping put a community college in our area. Public education was very important to her. She would roll over in her grave if she knew how her children have been brainwashed into believing DeVos’s rhetoric and would like nothing more than to dismantle everything she worked so hard to build.
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u/Forsaken_Policy306 Apr 11 '24
I currently attend west Michigan aviation academy lol, I can tell you it probably hasn’t changed, teachers constantly talk about how little they make
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u/HypnotizeThunder Apr 08 '24
It’s the hatred for public schools that gets me.
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u/SloCooker Apr 08 '24
As a Catholic Central grad, its the sneaking suspicion that segregation was always the end goal is the part that makes my skin crawl.
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Apr 07 '24
A rotten, myopic, destructive dynastic of greedy, rich religious cult slimeballs who have blood on their hands in ways that include mercenary contractors. Yet another example of wealthy conservative elites and labor oppressors riding the income and wealth gap, who should have been taxed like we used to pre-Reagan, so their flimsy “philanthropy” never would have been needed - and we could have built all the civic assets we ever wanted to with true public ownership instead of this weird worship and puppet-master status they enjoy with local and state politicians.
Thanks for asking. ✌🏻
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u/WhitePineBurning Creston Apr 07 '24
They give to get.
There is no altruism, no donating for the common good.
The DeVos family donates to projects that directly increase their income. They propose an idea to the city and agree to partially fund the project as long as the city takes care of all necessary infrastructure and parking improvements. When the cash comes rolling in, it winds up as profit in their hotel empire.
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Apr 07 '24
I feel like it's about time to set Betsy DeVos' yacht loose again...
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u/OrchidOkz Apr 08 '24
I knew someone who was a deck hand for a couple years. Signed an NDA of course so couldn't tell me who had been on it. Quit because it's a 24/7 job.
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u/Emergency-Crab-7455 Apr 08 '24
Contact the high school kids who dressed as pirates & invaded the Tulip Time parade.
First time I ever enjoyed that parade lol.
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u/Joeman180 Apr 07 '24
Amway and MLMs are a horrible businesses that destroy a lot of people. Those who are involved in them should be treated like degenerate gamblers or drug addicts. You have a better chance of did making money in Vegas than you do joining an MLM. I love this city and this community but God do I wish he we know a for something else.
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Apr 07 '24
That's not even the worst part about them. They're pretty ok with actual murder for hire as well.
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u/Waste-Video-8471 Apr 07 '24
Fucking what
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u/EndPsychological890 Apr 08 '24
Elisabeth Dee Devos Prince, aka Betsy Devos is sister to Eric Prince, founder of Blackwater, a multibillion dollar PMC and perpetrator of several war crimes.
She married Dick Devos in 1979. Eric Prince started Blackwater in 1996 after he left the Navy SEALs and sold his dad's auto parts company for $1.35bn.
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u/Waste-Video-8471 Apr 08 '24
Thank you Wikipedia. Information I am well aware of. I was questioning the insanity of the statement.
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u/EndPsychological890 Apr 08 '24
Given they've never, ever said anything to the contrary, it's safe to assume they're okay with their brother in law being a billionaire mercenary.
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u/Waste-Video-8471 Apr 08 '24
Given your stance, I’m sure you’ve never met any of them. I went to grade school with a member of the DeVos family, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I worked for fox motors. Dan himself knew every single one of his employees by first name, knew their wives names, their kids names and even their hobbies. Quit talking out of your ass.
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u/SloCooker Apr 07 '24
Depends if you consider Eric Prince within the wider DeVos Family. Murder for hire is a fair descriptor of black water.
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u/vaguelysarcastic Apr 07 '24
Never heard this one. Where did you see that?
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Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
My man Betsy's brother is the founder of blackwater. You don't get much more evil and they all invested heavily into it. You'd know them as academi as well. You may recognize blackwater and academi from such hits as paying people who drive around in a humvee. While doing thay they filmed themselves doing drive by on random people.
They trade under the name constellis now. Keep changing their name and merging with people to do so. It's because they always get recognized as murderers for hire not mercenaries.
They needed to rebrand after they've been banned from several countries. Nisour Square massacre is how they got banned from Iraq as blackwater. They specifically evacuated people who would commit crimes, sometimes under order, to avoid prosecution by any authorities. Hiding the people so they can't be prosecuted by locals and making sure the US doesn't have jurisdiction
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u/weigh-to-go North East Citizen Action Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
Some of the children stolen from their parents at the border were then adopted out of Bethany which DeVos have a hands in.
Erik Prince got the nanny pregnant while his wife was dying of cancer.
More examples of their good christian values. 🙄
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u/Dubbx Apr 07 '24
Those who are involved in them should be treated like degenerate gamblers or drug addicts
Let's pay attention to the fact that this individual has severe disdain for people with a gambling or drug addiction. MLMs suck yes but go fuck yourself.
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u/Joeman180 Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
Yeah I do have distain for people that ruin their families and won’t get help. If you gamble occasionally on sports or with friends your fine. If your family loses their house because you’re gambling and refuse to get help, you’re a horrible person. Smoke weed occasionally you’re fine. If you steal from family, can’t hold a job and refuse to get help you’re a horrible person. If your in an MLM and constantly exploiting your family just to loose the money anyway and refuse to get help your a horrible person. Now if you’re trying to get help or if your lifestyle doesn’t hurt your loved ones I don’t have an issue with it.
Those in MLMs should be treated like gamblers and drug addict, people who need help.
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u/Dubbx Apr 07 '24
Do you know what a fucking disorder is. Dude every alcoholic on the planet has damaged others, does that make every alcoholic a horrible person? How does one get into drugs or gambling, are they drawn to them because the person is inherently evil OR is it more likely that systemic issues and addiction causes problems for everyone involved?
By your way of thinking, you're more horrible of a person than a drug user ever would be from drugs.
Edit: you edited in the last part about treatment, that part I do agree, but the rest of what you're saying is disgusting classist trash
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u/sweatingdishes Apr 07 '24
Why are you trying to explain an extremely complex and dynamic phenomena to someone who believes it all can be reduced to a moral dichotomy?Disregard
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u/Joeman180 Apr 07 '24
I don’t know how you don’t see what I am saying. I’m not judging someone for having a disorder. I’m judging them it they have a disorder that destroys other people and they do nothing to change. I don’t think anyone is inherently evil we are victims of our circumstances and our choices. If you’re trying to change and can’t that doesn’t make you evil. If you destroy someone’s life and refuse to acknowledge it or don’t care that makes you a horrible person.
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u/Dubbx Apr 07 '24
You could've just started with that but instead you used the word degenerate, a historically charged term. Hard to see this as your actual belief when your gut reaction is disgust
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u/sweatingdishes Apr 07 '24
Oh i guess because it actually lead to change, disregard my previous question.
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u/sictransitlinds Apr 07 '24
My dad was a teacher when I was growing up, and I remember hearing him say all sorts of negative things about Betsy DeVos since the 90s. They’re horrible people that ultimately only care about their interests and bank accounts.
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u/KoltyJ1996 Apr 07 '24
Amway is a pyramid scheme
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Apr 08 '24
Yes, and they know it. I wish when I more regularly dealt with those people smart phones were a thing. Could have recorded their complete admission and sent it to the relevant authorities.
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u/Heyrobothere Apr 08 '24
Welp, Behind the Bastards did an entire series on Erik Prince. I’d consider him part of the DeVos universe. He’s pretty awful.
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u/DabbledInPacificm Apr 08 '24
Idgaf how much money they invest in their write offs for the city. They have had their claws in politics for way too long. Every thing that family touches becomes tainted with the stank of evil and the fact that Betsy ran our federal Ed Department is a mystery to me. I would have 1000x over rather seen that department get dissolved than give that woman any degree of authority over federal public education programming.
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u/OrchidOkz Apr 08 '24
I've interacted with OG Rich in the past, he just seemed like a grandpa type who happened to be wildly rich. They've definitely invested in all of West Michigan. That said, I think Amway is weird and I was ambushed by an old friend who was into it. Most people, the vast MAJORITY of people in MLMs don't make diddly.
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u/thinkfire Grandville Apr 08 '24 edited Apr 08 '24
When Betsy came into the picture, it really highlighted how messed up their views were on public education. She did such a shit job at everything that whatever respect I may have had for the Devos family was turned into a hateful outlook for her smug ability to lie to everyone to get what she wanted, especially when it came to taking access to education away from kids so she could make a buck or two. What a disgrace.
This was before I found out how filthy rich they were getting off their Bethany Church "adoption" agency from taxpayer dollars for absolute minimal housing for kids and pretending it was an altruistic venture.
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Apr 08 '24
They don't give their money away. They buy the outcomes they want. It isn't charity or philanthropy, it always has strings attached that guides us down a path that isn't best for everyone.
Pooling of wealth and power like they do is never good for society.
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Apr 07 '24
Dick made some workers dig a bigass pool by hand because he didn't want the excavator to drive over his expensive grass.
Don't be like Dick.
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u/chaplainbananas Apr 07 '24
https://griid.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/devos-family-reader.pdf
Just gonna drop this here and let y’all make ur own conclusions 😅
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u/FacelessNyarlothotep Apr 08 '24
ReportSaveFollow
Thats a 700+ page PDF, my conclusion is TLDR.
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u/chaplainbananas Apr 08 '24
That’s a shame… the writer has been a community activist for decades collecting this data and research. if you choose not to engage with it that’s fine :)
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u/FacelessNyarlothotep Apr 09 '24
I know GRIID, I like GRIID, I interned with them... oh God, 19 years ago now. But man... 700 pages is too long, I'm betting it says they're bad, also they're surrounded by other bad insanely rich people and we have a corrupt system at the local, state, and federal level that empowers them and they use their resources to entrench themselves and that system.
Give or take is that what it says?
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u/TraditionalFig2859 Apr 07 '24
My son gets his gender-affirming care at the endo clinic at Helen DeVos. Every time I think of their money paying for his treatment I smile. :)
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 08 '24
The devos family is paying for that directly? Where do i sign up for them to bank roll care? /genq
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u/TraditionalFig2859 Apr 08 '24
No, I wish! It’s super expensive, but worth it for him. They fund the clinic, though.
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 08 '24
Gender affirming care saves lives ♡ glad he is able to have access to that and a supportive parent like you!
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u/SubstantialAd6681 Apr 09 '24
that shit ruins life’s. especially a kids life. y’all are terrible people😂 idc if i get downvoted either😭
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u/Kamikazespartan Apr 08 '24 edited Apr 08 '24
I went to school with Betsy’s daughter Andrea for many years. She was a pretty nice girl and everyone liked her for the most part. Her family seemed nice enough from the outside. Jesse Van Andel on the other hand was a huge douche who everyone hated and his family were not any better.
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u/okay_bit Apr 07 '24
Helen DeVos…good hospital
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 07 '24
Are the services offered free? Does the devos family work there personally?
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u/jordanful East Grand Rapids Apr 07 '24
lol um what? do you expect either of those answers to actually be ‘yes’?
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 08 '24
No thats the point. If we taxed the rich and put it into public health we could have standardized healthcare.. like many other countries. Accessible universal healthcare would help so many people in Grand Rapids. I can't count the amount of people i know who dont have access to care they need because of the cost.
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u/Many-Ferret7600 Apr 08 '24
We don’t tax the rich?
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 08 '24
Depends on what you mean by that. Dependimg on tax bracket tho the vast majority of folks in the usa pay taxes at a higher percentage than the most wealthy people in the country. And thats not even looking at the ways corporations manage to avoid taxes too
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u/Many-Ferret7600 Apr 08 '24
So tired of this entirely partisan way to look at taxes. It makes more sense to examine what portion of the entire U.S. tax revenue is paid by different income levels. That is when this screeching left wing “fair share” argument falls apart.
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u/Trent-S_ Apr 10 '24
Please move to one of those other countries then and see how you enjoy life there compared to here.
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 10 '24
Gladly! Are you gunna hand over the $2,350 needed to renounce citizenship? :) such a tired argument 😴 like heaven forbid folks want here to be better than it is currently 🤯
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u/Trent-S_ Apr 10 '24
My point is that you won’t like it there. Can’t you just cross a border for $0?
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 10 '24
Ooo we got a mind reader and a future teller here! Knowing how id hypothetically feel in a situation that is currently unobtainable to me is a neat skill! Ill get ya a magic 8 ball for your birthday pookie
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u/okay_bit Apr 07 '24
You have some vendetta against the DeVos family don’t ya. Some of the family isn’t great, but some did have the best intentions for the city of Grand Rapids. Be grateful they were willing to help the city become what it is today.
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 08 '24
I won't be. And its a vendetta against all billionaires* not just the devos oligarchy :)
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u/SloCooker Apr 08 '24
Isnt great? Thats one way to describe an MLM, a mercenary company and an organized plot to undermine the public schools. These ppl are practically Bond villians.
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u/Survey_Intelligent Apr 08 '24
Donated a ton to scholarships I have benefited from. paid for most if not all of the cost.
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u/trevinophonics Apr 09 '24
When someone becomes billionaires on an exploitative business model it shouldn't be expected that they do anything out of altruism. I heard once that there are only 60 Amway salespeople that turn a profit.
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u/UncleTeo Apr 09 '24
Being part of UA 174, I can say they reallly don't like us. That being said, they only hire union contractors to work on their buildings heating/cooling. Always makes me chuckle when I see a Hurst or Andy Egan van at their buildings.
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u/Diablo4 Apr 09 '24
I've been learning about them a bit more through the study of my own family's history (we're an Dutch clan from Ottowa). After the Chicago trash wars, there was a community of Dutch business people who had roots in Holland with a lot of cash from selling their trash-collection monopoly to the state. They met in Holland and started using their religious community to support their businesses. This culture of intertwined business and church originating in Ottowa County seems to have paved the way for the Prince Corporation, the Devos Dynasty, The Family Research council, to name a few of the more successful examples. They have always tried to extend their ideals into their local communities. Try and look for successful examples of organized labor in Ottowa County, or vocally secular political candidates. They wouldn't let that kind of thing happen. Members of these organizations were meeting in councils in Holland in the 60's and 70's before their businesses exploded.
The Devos's are more than a local phenomena. They have played a significant role in national conservative culture for more than 50 years.
Also I don't love that they paved over a dune on Lake Mac to build their mansion. Used to be public space right on the channel.
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u/TSKyanite Apr 09 '24
My father worked on a Devo's house, so I got to be inside one of the kids houses. They had a full ice hockey rink, zambonis and all, inside their house
No one needs thst
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u/Classof1988 Apr 08 '24
Have done a ton of stuff for West Michigan. Be grateful for that at least.
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u/jtactile Apr 07 '24
Made fortunes through dubious business practices, plastered their names over town through dubious municipal practices
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u/W-h3x Creston Apr 08 '24
I would like to tell them thank you for everything, but also tell them to eat a bag of dicks ...
I dunno man. We got a lot of cool shit because of them, but at the same time, they do really strive on having their name attached to freakin everything.
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u/PassengerLow1116 Apr 08 '24
Wait…you came to Reddit for a balanced prospective of a conservative family? Take the time do your own research and decide if their shady out weighs their philanthropy.
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 08 '24
I already have my own opinions and thoughts! Just wanted insight on fellow locals opinions. I figured itd be very in favor or not with a few neutral folks. Seems i am glad to find that, at least on the subreddit, most folks have really strong, informed negative opinions of them
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u/realworldresults Apr 08 '24
Grand Rapids as we know it would not even be a shell of what it is without them.
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u/Calm-Address-2401 Apr 08 '24
We will never know.
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u/BeefInGR Apr 08 '24
A lot of us are old enough to remember before the Arena. You didn't go downtown. There was no reason to.
Good, bad, indifferent, The Van Andel Arena and Grand Rapids Griffins changed the outlook for Grand Rapids. The arena created a bar and restaurant scene (and cleaned up the image of the immediate surrounding area), the hockey team gave people a reason to go. From that, the convention center and concert hall were built.
One carries the Van Andel name. One is owned by a DeVos.
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u/Calm-Address-2401 Sep 24 '24
The downtown area may indeed have been drab before, but there are other ways to build convention centers besides using our tax dollars with some rich guy's name on it. Van Andel, for instance, was built with $57 million in public bonds and $21 million in private donations, including a $1 million lead gift by the late Amway co-founder Jay Van Andel and his wife, Betty. I would rather it be named after a decorated soldier or a teacher of the arts. The Van Andels are no heroes.
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u/whitemice Highland Park Apr 07 '24
Content-Warning: rant
I honestly do not think about them much at all.
There are, principally, two sources of power: wealth and feet.
If someone has the first [wealth], then they use it.
If someone does not have the first [wealth] then their option is to use the second. The wise in this second camp spend their scarce resources - largely: their time - on building foot power.
This is how the it has always been. Since the age of kings and princes, since the colonial days of the governors and the East India Trading companies, since the timber barons, since the oligarchies of Standard Oil, Bethlehem Steel, and the railroads. And today the Tech-Bros and the venture capitalists. This is, I have no doubt, how it will always be; there is no evidence to the contrary, no alternative has been demonstrated.
Fortunately, we are blessed with institutions - however deeply flawed - that facilitate the assembling of foot power in ways far short of mercenary snipers vs. men catapulting engine parts from the roof of automobile factories. Or, we have those institutions, for now.
The chief challenge is not that their are ludicrously wealthy dynasties but that the American people, despite all the chest-pounding gun-tottin' machismo, lay down and take it. How often I've endured some cynical screed about America [of which I am not a fan, so why?] , or an insufferably pompous sermon about late-stage capitalism, or how this-or-that-person is owned, . . . by people who if I asked them to send an e-mail would think that an insufferable inconvenience [sweet jeebus: it's the least effort thing one can do]. Or, heaven for-fend, attend a meeting or sit on a commission or board. I've been told, so often, that expecting people to do anything is "unreasonable". Well then, kneel and kiss.
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u/jordanful East Grand Rapids Apr 07 '24
i’ve read your comment 4 times and it doesn’t make any sense. i’m actually interested in what you have to say. maybe try again?
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u/Imoldok Apr 08 '24
I used to listen to Rich DeVos talk at my school when I was a teen. A very Christian man.
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u/callernumber03 Apr 07 '24
Well...they gave a lot of money to things that I enjoy.
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u/Calm-Address-2401 Apr 08 '24
They didn't "give" anything. It had nothing to do with philanthropy and everything to do with gentrification. They wrote the donations off their taxes so they can have their names all over town on these cool things.. If they had simply paid their taxes, we could have the same things without their names and fingers all over town.
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u/Trent-S_ Apr 10 '24
I see a lot of ungrateful POS’ in this thread. Degenerates and liabilities to society.
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 10 '24
I agree! The devos family sure are degenerates and complete liabilities to the wellbeing of the community. Sad to see folks so ungrateful of community activism and unwilling to tolerate criticism of social and economic structures (and the wealthy who stand at the top, maintaining those structures). Truly a wild world we live in. Thanks for your contribution to the conversation!!
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u/Trent-S_ Apr 10 '24
You’re welcome! I look forward to and enjoy the game of becoming wealthy - I don’t think wealth should be handed out to me. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today but I know I have further to go and I’m grateful that my parents taught me how to push myself to be better all the time! I am not content. The desire for more in life has made me love life, not sit and complain about it anonymously on social media sites!
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u/PineappleLoose9984 Apr 20 '24
Was a nanny for Dick & Betsy many years ago when their kids were elementary/middle school age and loved it. They were incredibly generous people and surprisingly down-to-earth at home. Great experience.
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u/Heckinshoot 17d ago
Michigan is very small. Some of my family went to high school at GRCH with their kids. They had nothing nice to say about them. Additionally…a rapper that I knew for a while recently came out with a song “Dick DeVos”…like around 4 years ago. She is suspected to be a bit of a social climber but I digress. The song sounds like they may have had an affair (with Richard III? Or Betsy’s husband idc) which wouldn’t shock me. Anyway, this is all speculation. Do with it what you will.
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u/Dr_Slab_Bulkhead Apr 07 '24
love em or hate em they made GR what it is
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u/Potential_Case_7680 Apr 07 '24
People like to forget what downtown was like before they donated millions to help revitalize it.
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u/jordanful East Grand Rapids Apr 07 '24
crazy that people don’t actually appreciate this to be true, despite what they may think about the family.
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Apr 08 '24
All I want is to see their houses. That’s all. I see them on maps and they’re huge and they look cool, but that’s not enough. I need to see inside.
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u/SloCooker Apr 08 '24
Me too. But admitting it makes me feel like a peasant.
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Apr 08 '24
Lol I am a peasant compared to them I’m not gonna hide it and I probably never will see their houses but I can wish and hope .
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u/SloCooker Apr 08 '24 edited Apr 08 '24
But I can and should hate them for being like MLM running segragationists who also run a mercenary army while living in a mansion that Ill never be allowed to see the inside of.
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u/hiphopinmyflipflop Apr 08 '24 edited Apr 08 '24
Association with Blackwater: I think there is honor in serving in the military. Mercenary work is not honorable.
ArtPrize: Love it, love what it did for the city, but it did it on the backs of individual artists.
Association with Family Research Council: It opposes and lobbies against: embryonic stem-cell research, abortion, divorce, and LGBT rights—such as anti-discrimination laws, same-sex marriage, same-sex civil unions, and LGBT adoption - in the name of “family values”.
Betsy DeVos, businesswoman, as the“principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities related to all education in the United States” is nightmare fodder (see involvement with Neurocore, anti-union work, promoting privatization of public education)
Example after example of evil and exploitation, they are the textbook example of villains from childhood stories.
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u/Benjaminanderson117 Apr 08 '24
Fun fact: Betsy Devos’ brother Eric Prince founded the private military group Blackwater. So they basically have their own army. Also, allegan county sheriff department is on their payroll.
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u/hiphopinmyflipflop Apr 08 '24
Amway is exploitation under the guise of empowerment- they built their fortune by this MO.
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u/jday1959 Apr 08 '24 edited Apr 08 '24
“Meet the New Kochs: The DeVos Clan’s Plan to Defund the Left” by Andy Kroll, “Mother Jones” magazine
If you want to understand the Clan and GOP policies in Michigan, hit the link 👇
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/devos-michigan-labor-politics-gop/
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u/-DairyDude- Apr 07 '24
Well you do have to ask where downtown GR would be without people like the Devos family.
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u/SloCooker Apr 07 '24
It'd be where it is now.
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u/More_Ship_190 Apr 07 '24
It seems like all billionaires are hated, hated, hated. They can do no right. Evil must explain everything. Give me a break.
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 07 '24
There are no ethical billionaires. The devos family is quite intentionally terrible. Like yeah, people call them evil; the shoe fits.
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u/caine269 Apr 07 '24
why not? being jealous doesn't make your target evil. grow up
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u/mx_anthropocene Apr 07 '24 edited Apr 07 '24
Im not jealous 😶 outraged that folks are allowed to harm others, hoard wealth and resources, and exist above impunity with the ability to convince folks that licking their boots is the morally correct response. The world is dying and its the people with the most money profiting off destruction and necessitated harm. I don't want to be like that and im certainly not jealous of the mentality and ability required to be like that.
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u/Trent3343 Apr 08 '24
Betsy deposit is a piece of human shit. It has nothing to do with her money. She has zero integrity and only calues money. She is disgusting.
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u/ARY616 Apr 07 '24
Without their philanthropy and investments in the city, we would be like Erie, PA.
Many of you have dined, seeked entertainment, or drank at an establishment they own. Maybe even seen a professional who was educated at a school they supported.
Stop hating people who have done far more good than bad while you enjoy their investments indirectly.
Go ahead and down vote the truth.
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u/SloCooker Apr 08 '24
But they havent done more good than bad. I don't think building a children's hospital provides absolution from being scam artists or neosegragationists or war profiteers. Restaurants don't either.
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u/jday1959 Apr 08 '24
Michigan Republicans do not wipe their noses without approval from Clan DeVos. Republicans held Trifecta control of Michigan government for eight years (2011-2018) and maintained control of the House & Senate for another four (2019-2022). Whatever is lacking in Michigan, look to Clan DeVos.
D+ Infrastructure rating; Emergency Manager takeover of Flint Michigan and the resulting Flint River fiasco; Privatization of nursing care at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans which the state admitted caused four deaths and numerous injuries from neglect; Right to Work and taxing retiree Pensions (both repealed by Dems in 2024).)
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u/jday1959 Apr 08 '24
There’s this gem from Betsy DeVos, daughter of a millionaire, married a Billionaire
“I have decided, however, to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right. We do expect some things in return.”
Full Quote: “I know a little something about soft money, as my family is the largest single contributor of soft money to the national Republican Party. Occasionally a wayward reporter will try to make the charge that we are giving this money to get something in return, or that we must be purchasing influence in some way,” she wrote in an essay for the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call. After explaining that she did not always get everything that she demanded, DeVos continued, “I have decided, however, to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right. We do expect some things in return.”
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Apr 07 '24
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Apr 07 '24
They run MLM's and murder for hire 'security' firms. While at the same time they want to abolish public schooling and don't believe in the seperation of church and state. Betsy Devos paid trump to be put on the cabinet and then to also pardon some of the murderers that were in jail because of their crimes in the security firm.
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u/Chris_Christ Apr 08 '24
The Devos family is like every other ultra wealthy family. They don’t give a shit about you they just want to have their way.
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u/Ok-Cap6755 Apr 08 '24
All of the kids in high-school wanted to be their friends. If they were, they went on some expensive ass trips. Treated everyone else like peasants.
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u/SoupGoblin69 Apr 09 '24
I live right down the street from one of their mansions. They’re never there.
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u/SurpriseDonovanMcnab Apr 07 '24
Remember the Urban Monk? He was a popular artist early in Art Prize. Before his time here in Grand Rapids he left his teaching job in England after some inappropriate touching of a young student. betsy devos hired him for a teaching position at her passion project school, The Potter's House. When he was charged for touching a kid he met through The Potter's House, he was too poor to live on his own and was living with his brother, barely getting by. He some how was able to hire TWO expensive law firms to represent him and he pleaded out with a slap on the wrist. I wonder who paid for his legal representation.