Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Uber and Lyft at O'Hare Airport and Beyond

Today, Uber, Lyft and similar application based ride-share services scored a victory by not having to follow the traditional route of taxi and chauffeur's licensing. Chauffeur's licenses are costly because drivers get fingerprinted, undergo drug tests and background checks. But, any one with a smart phone and car can be an Uber driver.

The Chicago City Council Finance Committee passed the Rahm Emanuel supported Ordinance to open up McCormick Place, Navy Pier, O'Hare Airport and other Chicago locations without Uber driver's going through the proper regulations or having to apply for the expensive Chauffeur's license.

Uber et al. play by a different set of rules than taxis, but the service they are providing is exactly the same, thus they should be subjected to the same regulations. It doesn't matter if you hailed the driver on the street, made a phone call, sent an email, or downloaded a smart phone app. Uber should be regulated in the same manner as other services.

The founders of Uber, Travis Kalanick and Garret Camp haven't created a new product, invented a new service, discovered a new alloy, or revolutionized production, they've exploited a hole in the law. It's incredible we reward legerdemain so much but here is Uber and their creators lauded as though they were Jonas Salk.

I dislike Uber because I'm not jumping in a car with some random person. But, more than that I dislike what the Republican Economic Policies of the last 35 years have reduced Americans to doing.

People drive for Uber because Ronald Reagan's and the Neoliberal economic revolt he got rolling has undercut the American Worker and gutted the American Dream. It's uniquely American, to quote George W(orst Potus Ever) Bush, that Americans have to work multiple jobs because they Plutocracy he worked for decided they wanted to destroy the Middle Class and reduce every American Worker to a Wage Slave shackled in Corporate Bondage.

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