Elizabeth Warren is on the attack.
She is furious with Uber and Lyft, two companies that not only provide fast, cheap transportation for the masses, but also provide an opportunity for millions to shed their cars, reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gasses.
Even though these companies tend to provide second part-time jobs, she expects Uber and Lyft to pay employee health care benefits.
It’s not fair to the taxis, whines Warren who never bothered to realize the massive benefit to millions of poor inner city residents who cannot afford a car.
Is Warren a clueless Luddite or does she simply belong in France longing for the French-style protections (with more than double the US unemployment rate as a “benefit”)?
Please consider Elizabeth Warren slams Uber and Lyft.
Companies powering the “gig economy” such as Uber and Lyft are facing a rough ride in Washington after Senator Elizabeth Warren, a liberal firebrand, accused them of undermining economic security.
“The much-touted virtues of flexibility, independence and creativity offered by gig work might be true for some workers under some conditions,” Ms Warren said in a speech in Washington on Thursday.
“[But] for many, the gig economy is simply the next step in a losing effort to build some economic security in a world where all the benefits are floating to the top 10 per cent.”
Ms Warren said the US was suffering from an “outdated employee benefits model” that made it hard for temporary and contract workers in the tech sector and beyond to build any personal economic security.
Dear Ms. Warren
Dear Ms. Warren, please think. France has among the strongest worker protection laws in Europe and its economy is struggling because of it.
When businesses cannot fire workers, they won’t hire them in the first place.
Uber is a godsend to millions of inner-city workers who use to have to pay exorbitant taxi fares if buses did not go where they need to go.
Everyone benefits from Uber and lift except the extremely small percentage of people driving taxis.
Outdated Model
Those looking for an “outdated model” need look no further than France and the popularity of French president Francois Hollande.
We do not have economic security because socialist illiterates started countless affordable housing programs that failed, and countless education policies that drove up the cost of education.
Obamacare is icing on a cake named “stupid”. Obamacare’s socialist redistribution madness is rife with canceled policies, reduced benefits, and rising costs.
To be fair, I also need to include in that list of things causing economic insecurity, the rampant warmongering and excessive military spending by both political parties.
Of course, the Fed, the Fed’s inflationist policies, and fractional reserve lending are the driver for much of this madness.
Uber Irony
The irony in Warren’s nonsensical rant is Uber drivers will cease to exist altogether in the not so distant future.
Uber tests 1st self-driving car in Pittsburgh
Please consider Uber Tests 1st Self-Driving Car in Pittsburgh.
Uber is testing its first prototype of a self-driving car on the streets of Pittsburgh, the ride-hailing company said Thursday.
In a blog post, the company says it has equipped its Advanced Technologies Center in the U.S. city with its first driverless vehicle, a modified Ford Fusion with radar, laser scanners and high-resolution cameras attached to the roof.
The vehicle in question still has a human behind the wheel during testing. The company says it’s still in the early stages of its self-driving tests and needs to make sure the technology is safe.
Uber picked Pittsburgh because of its “wide variety of road types, traffic patterns and weather conditions.”
Uber is in a pack of automotive and technology companies rushing to bring autonomous vehicles from conception to reality. Although it calls itself a technology company, Uber’s core business turns ordinary drivers into de facto taxi drivers who can give people rides in 450 cities worldwide.
“In the future we believe this technology will mean less congestion, more affordable and accessible transportation, and far fewer lives lost in car accidents.”
Precisely.
For the French reaction to Uber, please see French Taxi Drivers Burn Tires Block Airports in Mass 24-Hour Strike; 20% of French Flights Cancelled.
Instead of acting like a Luddite or a French socialist, it would do Warren some good if she would shut her mouth and think for a change.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock.
