There was talk about renaming the Krugman thread for this purpose, but that seems to be going nowhere. Besides which, I feel the Krugman thread should be left to discuss Krugman while this thread can be used for more general economic discussion.
Discuss:
- The merits of competing theories.
- The role of the government in managing the economy.
- The causes of and solutions to our current economic woes.
- Comparisons between the economic systems of different countries.
- Theoretical and existing alternatives to our current market system.
edited 17th Dec '12 10:58:52 AM by Topazan
A procrastination in of itself
Thing is Uber's advantage isn't tech, it's a lack of quality control. It's the fact that they use "non-professional drivers" that makes them dangerous. The state is meant to protect people and that includes from random folks who haven't been safety checked from posing as legitimate taxi drivers.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
United Earth
Taxi licenses could stand to be cheaper, though. Those are so expensive, you spend a sizable fraction of your income as a taxist paying off the mortgage on them! They're basically the main obstacle to taxists braking even. Also, there's a limited pool of them, so you have to buy or inherit one off of someone who's retiring.
edited 30th Jun '15 3:23:13 AM by TheHandle
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
The argument by the Taxi Drivers is the inflated price makes the Medallions a safe asset to invest in and retire on, as much as they're paying ON it, it's paying them.
And then we're getting back to Ramidel's complaint: the taxi drivers are using the government to protect their ability to charge higher prices to customers.
Yes they are, and somewhere in between Uber and traditional taxis is an idea that actually makes sense.
It's more the taxi companies are doing that then the drivers. The drivers still don't make much.
Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
So a Republican will win the Presidency most likely based on the theory of economic satisfaction.
edited 30th Jun '15 6:56:18 AM by PotatoesRock
We should consider the possibility that the Paris taxi drivers would actually be better off if their employers faced more competition.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
But probably not from a company that treats its drivers like shit (among other things abusing the contractor status).
I think a compromise. Anyone who wants to take in passengers should get a Pro-driving license first. Similar to anyone who wants to take in renters.
Cause businesses have to be taxed properly.
Plants are aliens, and fungi are nanomachines.
V
@ DeMarquis:
#12406:
In Britain, we call it the minicab
, or more formally, Private Hire. As that Wikipedia article mentions:
They are subject to most of the same Driver and Vehicle licencing requirements as a Hackney Cab driver.
#12409:
But what if French Taxi Drivers — as most are in Europe — are self-employed?
@ Linhasxoc: But what if the Governmentnote also sets the fares?
edited 30th Jun '15 9:19:23 AM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
Jupiterian Local
Lost in Space
If traditional taxi services would adopt a system like Uber's app to schedule and pay for rides, it would be a huge improvement.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
If traditional taxis would show up when they're scheduled for it would be a huge improvement.
Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
V
Depends on whether the local legal framework allows them to.
edited 30th Jun '15 9:33:26 AM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
If we have a real, protracted economic downturn, yeah. Though it would be a hard fight for Republicans against the demographic headwinds.
America's recovery is rolling along, and i really don't think Greece is going to spread (the ECB is willing to help everyone but Greece, it's more about screwing over them now. The Eurozone will be shaken but nothing worse than the last three years or so).
China will hopefully have a graceful slide rather than a violent bubble burst.
The law in the night
How exactly can this bubble burst benefit the manufacturing sectors in countries with a lot of Chinese exports?
The yuan valuating sure as hell is going to make Chinese products more expensive, but at the same time I'm a bit wary of inflationary pressure over common consumer goods.
Inter arma enim silent leges
Lost in Space
A Chinese collapse would strengthen the dollar, weakening our net trade position. It would have a slight negative effect on growth, but not enough to send us into recession. It's not like we have huge investments into the renminbi that would destabilize the financial system if they were to default. What, exactly, is the risk?
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
A slowdown in Chinese consumption would have a negative effect, though it has to be weighed against the US recovery. Japan is slowly on an upward trajectory too after the damage from the sales tax hike. I'm hoping for all our sakes that Troper:Potatoes Rock is wrong about this, a Republican now would be disastrous.
Fuck me with red links today...
edited 30th Jun '15 10:09:17 AM by Ogodei
The law in the night
I for one am worried as fuck about China's economic woes.
Specially when Brazil exports are soy, steel and other raw materials to fuel chinese industries.
Our battered economy will just go further into the shitter if China stops importing commodities in bulk.
Inter arma enim silent leges
Lost in Space
Obviously, a Chinese recession would impact its imports and thus those countries that export a lot of materials to it, but the concern seemed to be that it would damage the U.S. economy and throw the 2016 elections into question. I have yet to see a coherent narrative for this that's based in more than sinophobia.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
A procrastination in of itself
Now I'm getting the taxi thing, the lack of a minicab industry is allowing Uber to sneak in completely unregulated and illegally. They need to be cut off from their totally unregulated actions by regular minicab regulations being bought in.
I susspect that the presence of reasonable private hire in the UK I is actually why Uber isn't a thing over here. Nobody is going to get in a doggy unlicensed taxi when there are plenty of licenced ones you can book via your smartphone.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
That's the key. There's a reasonable solution in the middle which meets standards of treating employees well and actually providing the damn service in a timely and acceptable manner. Uber fails on the former and in most cities, taxis badly fail on the latter.
V
Even if you have to phone the office and pay over the phone (or pay cash in the cab)!
Then again, I don't think Local Authorities limit the number of taxi licences (of any sort) available, either.
Keep Rolling On
Social Welfare services, no bailouts like the states, and no real economic powerhouses there.