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Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

reuters.com

411–420 of 539 posts

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like it. For self-driving trucks, someone suggested to me once that we could give all the truck drivers promotions to "logistics supervisors." They ride along and do paperwork and the trucking companies stop hiring for that position. I just feel like it's more likely that the trucking companies see that they can save money by firing them and tell them goodbye.

They will always need drivers just to stave off banditry and handle emergencies. What is likely is a single manned truck leading small convoys of automated machines.

Yeah I don't think the average taxi driver is some bandit-fighting hero that will save you. Likely they'll raise their hands and hand over their wallet too.

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#412
post #2

This is a pretty surreal move: >The law says the money will help taxi businesses to adopt "new technologies and advanced service, safety and operational capabilities" and to support workforce development... [Larry Meister, manager of the Boston area's Independent Taxi Operator's Association] said the money could go toward improving a smartphone app his association has started using, or to other big needs. I'm not an…

It's the same darn argument as was used against the automobile when it started replacing horse drawn carriages (buggies) as the dominant mode of transport. "Oh, but think of the poor buggy horsewhip-makers! They will be deprived of their livelihood." Guess what? They adapted to the new reality and here we are, rehashing the age old argument for populist/crony politics.

Change is always hard, sometimes unforgivingly so, but in the end, you adapt and survive or you perish (however that is defined). As a bleeding heart liberal humanist, I feel for the poor folks who will be put out of their current livelihood. But the societal answer to that cannot be the continuation of the status quo. If we, as a society, feel the need to help people in such situations, we need to find them alternatives that enable them to transition into the brave/merciless new world, rather than keep their current job on the socially funded ventilator, just because.

Most importantly, I'd rather support the decentralization of taxi companies, i.e. turn them into car rental companies for free-agent drivers who then use them to pick up fares using uber/lyft/whatever. The taxi system is a bloody mess and some real competition will help clean out the systematic cruft that has accumulated over time.

So yes, take money from uber/lyft, but NOT to support the rent-collecting taxi company owners. Better yet, use the money to give short-term loans to people who'd rather buy a car to drive as a ride-share cab.

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question was meant as a thought exercise aimed at my fellow developers. I was hoping they would ask themselves, "What will I do once my field is disrupted?" I was hoping that they could feel a little empathy for others whose livelihood has been turned upside down. (I'm not directly responding to you, just your points which are typical responses.) The general response when faced with uncomfortable questions is to…

Why do you think medicine is ripe for disruption ? Unemployment rate for doctors is around 1%. The acceptance rate for medical school in the usa is 40%. developers and cabbies are welcome to retrain. To me, cabbies are local government employees. Let the government that licenses them pay them, just like they pay teachers and cops. So I am fine with this subsidy.

Because of the tremendous shortage, as illustrated by that data. In fact home diagnosis apps were one of the first successful PC software products.

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#414
post #324
post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some sort of basic income or a welfare scheme. As someone else mentioned, Australian's out of job get paid $300 or $400 depending on how many kids you have etc and how much savings. This allows the government to make sure that everyone out of a job doesn't go homeless but its not enough to be comfortable so people don't become dependent on it. ( Some people do become dependent on it, its not a 100% unfortunately )

Comfortable? Exactly how does $1200 per month come anywhere near paying housing, food, and clothing even for one single person?

Get roommates in a cheap city, your rent could be down near $400-$600 / mo., that leaves plenty left over for food and necessities. Buy cheap clothing.

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#415
post #412
post #2

This is a pretty surreal move: >The law says the money will help taxi businesses to adopt "new technologies and advanced service, safety and operational capabilities" and to support workforce development... [Larry Meister, manager of the Boston area's Independent Taxi Operator's Association] said the money could go toward improving a smartphone app his association has started using, or to other big needs. I'm not an…

It's the same darn argument as was used against the automobile when it started replacing horse drawn carriages (buggies) as the dominant mode of transport. "Oh, but think of the poor buggy horsewhip-makers! They will be deprived of their livelihood." Guess what? They adapted to the new reality and here we are, rehashing the age old argument for populist/crony politics. Change is always hard, sometimes unforgivingly s…

Actually some of those buggy-whip makes just died of starvation. Folks used to fight hard against mechanization (the word Sabotage is said to originate when workers in Japan hurled their wooden shoes called 'Sabo' into the looms to break them) because their fate was starvation and death.

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#416
post #2

This is a pretty surreal move: >The law says the money will help taxi businesses to adopt "new technologies and advanced service, safety and operational capabilities" and to support workforce development... [Larry Meister, manager of the Boston area's Independent Taxi Operator's Association] said the money could go toward improving a smartphone app his association has started using, or to other big needs. I'm not an…

While this does sound odd to say the least - the government regulates everything. I see no reason why they should not be able to regulate the speed of technical innovation. For instance, if government had regulated financial innovation more vigorously 2008 might have gone differently. What's sensible in the long term is a different thing of course. And, there is the strong history where regulations supports too much entrenched industries.

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#417
post #412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the same darn argument as was used against the automobile when it started replacing horse drawn carriages (buggies) as the dominant mode of transport. "Oh, but think of the poor buggy horsewhip-makers! They will be deprived of their livelihood." Guess what? They adapted to the new reality and here we are, rehashing the age old argument for populist/crony politics. Change is always hard, sometimes unforgivingly s…

Actually some of those buggy-whip makes just died of starvation. Folks used to fight hard against mechanization (the word Sabotage is said to originate when workers in Japan hurled their wooden shoes called 'Sabo' into the looms to break them) because their fate was starvation and death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabotage#Etymology

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#418
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of them don't want to go back to school or get technical training... What do we tell the taxi and truck drivers when Uber shows up with self-drivers, etc.? Uhhh, how about "suck it up and do it anyway"? I know plenty of people on hn are all about the "making the world a better place" shtick and would work anyway/for the sake of it but for the vast majority of people work straight up means doing things you otherw…

> Uhhh, how about "suck it up and do it anyway"? You have it backwards. Humans have always had to suck it up because this is the default, natural state. But one would think in XXI century we could do better. That we can show some civilization, some compassion, instead of telling the unfortunate among us that they should suck it up. They're not our slaves to be forced into productive jobs, or resources to be used up a…

Well said. Its part of the 'enclosure' trend going on for 300 years. When folks can't live independent of capitalist job-seeking, they are essentially wage-slaves. Used to be you could just trap a brace of rabbits for the pot, weave your own cloth, wait for a better paying job. Society changed. This is why I favor a GBI - its reinstating the idea of the 'commons' where folks could say no to low-paying jobs.

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually some of those buggy-whip makes just died of starvation. Folks used to fight hard against mechanization (the word Sabotage is said to originate when workers in Japan hurled their wooden shoes called 'Sabo' into the looms to break them) because their fate was starvation and death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabotage#Etymology

Thanks! The final definition in that article, "In Japanese, the verb saboru (サボる) means to skip school or loaf on the job." may be closer to the real origin.

Re: Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

#420
post #225
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of them don't want to go back to school or get technical training... What do we tell the taxi and truck drivers when Uber shows up with self-drivers, etc.? Uhhh, how about "suck it up and do it anyway"? I know plenty of people on hn are all about the "making the world a better place" shtick and would work anyway/for the sake of it but for the vast majority of people work straight up means doing things you otherw…

What if they can't because they literally have not enough time to go back to school - because they need most waking hours for work, otherwise they couldn't cover their costs?

Maybe we should pay them to go to school, so they can be productive later (or structure it as a loan to be paid back or ...)
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