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Update July 23, 2015- I told you so. In my essay yesterday on Uber, below, I was the only one to connect the dots between Uber and the threat to the Big Government via MTA. Yesterday, Uber struck a deal with City Council and the mayor to delay the crucial vote by agreeing to possibly add a surcharge that will go to the MTA (In reality, the mayor lacked the votes after Governor Cuomo weighed in on the side of Uber).
How the heck does the MTA have anything to do with private sector Uber? Why am I as a person who rarely uses the MTA subsidizing the MTA?
July 21, 2015- By Steven E. Greer
David Plouffe, the political strategist for Uber, the ride sharing company that is putting the yellow cab industry out of business, was on CBS This Morning talking about the fight that New York City Council and Mayor De Blasio are bringing against them. The city leaders have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the yellow cab industry.
Right now, Uber is getting pushback only from the taxi industry. However, the real threat that they pose is to the MTA and other forms of public transportation that New Yorkers hate so much.
If Uber starts a line of large vans that allow ride sharing, removing the monopoly enjoyed by the MTA buses, and even impacting the subways, then public transportation is at risk of losing revenue. Uber would be then fighting the biggest employer in the state, which is the MTA and other public transportation bureaucracies.
Silicon Valley loves to brag that they “disrupt” (a euphemism for destroy) old industries. However, they have only thus far disrupted private sector industry. When it becomes Silicon Valley v State Unions, the fight will really get started. In France and other countries where the taxies are unionized state employees, such fights are already underway.
If Silicon Valley wins the revolution, and someone like Scott Walker becomes president, then the entire political framework of the country will change. Politicians, such as Governor Cuomo and Mayor De Blasio, are elected only because of the support from the state employee unions and construction unions. If those industries were to be “disrupted” by technology, then the new politicians will be in the pocket of some other industrial base in the private sector.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Hilary Clinton is not supporting Uber. She is also already calling for “more regulation” on Uber, which would make them more like France and part of the state machine. It is additionally of no surprise that Republicans, such as Jeb Bush, openly support Uber.
Taxi drivers in France are NOT state employees. They are unionized like in NY.
Anything unionized in France makes then the same as state employees, virtually impossible to fire, big benefits, etc
You were spot on. Kind of amazing