The Not So Tragic Death of Taxi Cartels - Page 22 - Politics and Economics

You're completely full of ****.

Those GIANT HUGE BARRIERS aren't exactly super restrictive.

Like, an extra hundo spent on each employee or something? Are their profit margins so thin they can't afford to do a background search or whatever?

Yeah...maybe? I mean you realize the alternative narrative is they decided you know what, **** profits, we are gonna show those bitches in Austin who's boss no matter how much money we are missing out on.

05-24-2016 , 10:28 PM

#527

Loki

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yeah, there's a phrase for that, right? cutting off your nose to spite your face?

05-24-2016 , 10:29 PM

#528

vhawk01

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodle Wazlib

hey you guise, black markets are bad, m'kay?

Like, we need to let doctors self-regulate. That'll fix the black market problem of opioid abuse in America! In fact, why even require doctors to have medical backgrounds for prescription writing purposes? They can just say they know all the relevant facts, should be good enough. We're just creating black markets by requiring certified doctors.

/ikes_logic

Black markets aren't bad per se. You can certainly make the argument that sure this creates a black market but that's no biggie. But there are some in this thread who hate the term so much that they knee jerk and paint themselves into a corner trying to say it's not a black market unless the Iranians are involved

05-24-2016 , 10:31 PM

#529

vhawk01

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodle Wazlib

yeah, there's a phrase for that, right? cutting off your nose to spite your face?

And that's what you think is happening here? Uber is run by emotional 13 year old girls? That's fine I guess if that is what you really believe

05-24-2016 , 10:34 PM

#530

vhawk01

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul D

I meant dudes selling wrist watches and other assorted ****. Drugs are the market. Lone individuals not so much. Just like Craigslist is the market.

I don't understand the distinction you are making here

05-24-2016 , 10:34 PM

#531

zikzak

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Quote:

Originally Posted by vhawk01

And that's what you think is happening here? Uber is run by emotional 13 year old girls? That's fine I guess if that is what you really believe

An honest viewing of how it all went down pretty strongly suggests that's exactly what happened.

05-24-2016 , 10:41 PM

#532

microbet

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Not following closely, but surely Uber isn't just worried about Austin and just because they could operate profitably in Austin doesn't mean that taking their ball and going home doesn't maximize their overall profits.

05-24-2016 , 10:56 PM

#533

Loki

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Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 12,772

sure, but this doesn't seem like the optimal spot to pick up your ball and go home. I doubt you believe their best strategy is to pick up and leave town every time someone tries to pass a law. They'll put themselves out of business in no time if that's the case.

This just gives taxi companies a good way to muscle them out of markets. They look bad running from a common sense regulation like this, so much so that if there are actual onerous regs in the future, they'll have already played the "run away from the big mean regulation" and it just won't mean as much.

05-24-2016 , 10:57 PM

#534

zikzak

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idk, they're a company that's managed to generate a fair amount of ill will among people who were originally supportive. The idea that the company is just plain greedy and overplaying its hand seems to be pretty plausible to me.

05-24-2016 , 10:58 PM

#535

Loki

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goddamnit zik, quick making succinct versions of my points!

05-24-2016 , 11:12 PM

#536

zikzak

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I typed it before I read yours. I'm pithy AND prescient!

05-24-2016 , 11:16 PM

#537

pvn

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Quote:

Originally Posted by zikzak

An honest viewing of how it all went down pretty strongly suggests that's exactly what happened.

Well, yeah, this is the only explanation that makes sense when you simultaneously believe that uber is a soulless corporate behemoth that only cares about money AND that uber is a bunch of whiny bitches who are leaving millions of dollars on the table because their feewings are hurt.

05-24-2016 , 11:18 PM

#538

pvn

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Yet zik and lolkey are super rustled that this evil corporation left town

05-24-2016 , 11:19 PM

#539

Loki

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Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 12,772

laughing at them for being lol dumb isn't rustled

if you weren't so rustled you might realize that

05-24-2016 , 11:22 PM

#540

ikestoys

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Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 94,424

Quote:

Originally Posted by pvn

lol it's been refreshing to watch them expose themselves as luddites. The whole it's for safety line was more annoying iyam.

05-24-2016 , 11:46 PM

#541

THAY3R

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Are we allowed to simply post "lol" in threads like these?

Lol

05-25-2016 , 07:38 AM

#542

Sholar

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Quote:

Originally Posted by microbet

Same read here, also don't care too much.

Chuckling at people talking about "barriers to entry" here and what they mean is that the huge multinationals that can't compete against mom-and-pops. (Maybe the rules were just different for those two, otherwise, come on.)

05-25-2016 , 10:27 AM

#543

pvn

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I love the let them eat cake attitude plus the attempt to reframe cab companies as friendly mom and pops.

05-25-2016 , 10:28 AM

#544

pvn

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hey guys yall should feel good about getting ripped off because it's someone LOCAL ripping you off and hey, it's better than SOVIET RUSSIA so quit complaining you ****ing belly achers

05-25-2016 , 10:34 AM

#545

microbet

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What problem did uber have? Background checks? Why shouldn't they have the same checks as cab drivers? Was there something else? Was Austin trying to tax it like every other business?

05-25-2016 , 10:37 AM

#546

pvn

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they were already doing background checks

05-25-2016 , 10:40 AM

#547

microbet

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What was the problem? It seems to be about background checks. Uber did their own and the city wanted another? Fingerprinting?

05-25-2016 , 12:46 PM

#548

Loki

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Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 12,772

yes, the city wanted uber drivers to have to go through the same background process as taxi companies

otherwise known as SURELY ALL THE TAXI COMPANIES WILL LEAVE TOWN DUE TO THESE HIGH BARRIERS TO ENTRY

05-25-2016 , 01:27 PM

#549

pvn

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The main point of contention as far as I know is over fingerprinting, which makes the background check process take a lot longer and doesn't have any proven effect in increasing safety.

05-25-2016 , 01:45 PM

#550

microbet

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Ok, but it's not that big a barrier to entry. I've been fingerprinted (livescan) for a Contractor's License, Appraiser's license, and to volunteer at my kid's school. It's pretty common nowadays.

I presume anyone suggesting Uber drivers shouldn't be fingerprinted also thinks taxi drivers shouldn't.

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