G+_Tony Klein Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 I like this for TWIT tomorrow ..Low hanging fruit..what a cheesy way to bust entrepreneurs just trying to make it. http://www.businessinsider.com/miami-cops-are-running-a-sting-to-catch-lyft-drivers-2014-6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Randy Hudson Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 COMPLETE Bullshit. It may not be legal there, however it is a serious misuse of tax payer money to run a sting operation for such a low level offense. How about allocating public owned resources to fighting actual crime? What a concept huh? Too bad you're not intelligent to think of that all by yourself Miami PD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Little Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 It may not be such a low level offense to the hard working people that are doing it legal and watching these gypsy drivers steal their income. Do you also tell cops that pull you over for speeding that they should be fighting actual crime? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Randy Hudson Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 No John Little I don't. Nor did I suggest that the police do nothing to enforce the law. But a sting operation? Seriously? That is without a doubt a waste of department resources as well as tax payer dollars. Besides, most courts have held that speed traps are illegal. If they're going to cite you they need to catch you fair and square, not set you up. That's entrapment and entrapment is illegal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Little Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Sting operations, of and by themselves are very legal. Changing the speed from 55 to 25 and hiding the sign is a speed trap. What do you say to the people that ARE doing it legal and having their pay stolen by these gypsy services? Tough luck, your problem for being honest and law abiding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Michael Pelfrey Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Reactionary nonsense. If your business can be replaced by what amounts to a website that provides incentives to carpool you need a new line of work. Have to protect those licensing fees the local government collects though don't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Randy Hudson Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 That's really all it's about in the end Michael Pelfrey, protecting the city's financial interests. It has little if anything to do with protecting the livelihood of anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chris Cooling Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 John Little its called a free market. some people believe in freedom. and yes they should be fighting actual crime instead of being the imbecilic muscle for a cabal of business owners trying to maintain a monopoly on a particular service Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Little Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Childish insult slinging does nothing to prove a point. Ordering a ride via a website has NOTHING to do with it. The reason taxi's are regulated is to protect the consumer. You have heard of consumer protection laws, yes? Gypsy taxi's have been around forever always trying one way or another to circumvent the law. This is nothing new. The taxi laws: 1. Make sure the driver has had a complete police background check. 2. Verifies that the car is safe to carry people in. 3. Verifies that the meter is certified so that the customer is not overcharged. You can have a free market system with regulations. All industries have regulations of one type or another. Would you want to eat someplace that was never checked by the health dept? I would not. Anytime you operate a business and bypass the regulations you can offer a better price, that does not make it right or honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Chris Cooling Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 your statement that 'all industries have regulations of one type or another' does not make that desirable or necessarily beneficial. Yes, the government regulates many businesses as well as individual citizens at the point of a gun. Some of those regulations might even benefit the public at large. However, regulations have overreached to ridiculous levels. Some regulations are results of existing businesses that have been the driving force behind the passing of laws that simply restrict others from entering the market and preserving occupations/business models that are obsolete. The mafias of taxi companies and moving companies are good examples. There is nothing in the constitution about 'consumers' being 'protected.' It is not therefore a 'right' that exists beyond perhaps the right to not be defrauded by a business which could be addressed through the existing legal system without passing/enforcement of special interest laws/regulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Little Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 There is nothing in the constitution that protects illegal gypsy taxi drivers. It seems to me by the irrational attacks on simple hard working law abiding taxi drivers some on here may have some ulterior motives like maybe working for one of the gypsy companies. Just saying it looks that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Randy Hudson Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 John Little you keep throwing around the term gypsy taxi. With the Wall Street Journal giving Lyft a $700 million valuation, I'd hardly refer to them as a Gypsy anything. It is however easy to see why Miami is targeting Lyft rather than Uber. Given their recent $18.2 billion valuation, Uber clearly has the resources to fight back. Regarding your 3 taxi laws … Police background checks are largely full of erroneous data and offer no public protection beyond the warm and fuzzy feeling some people get in the false sense of security they offer. How many reports have we heard of molesters and rapists getting jobs at public schools despite their criminal records? Absolutely pointless arguement. Your second and third points at least have some basis in reality. I also have to strongly disagree with you regarding constitutional protection of one's right to work without government harassment. "We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; …" If my happiness requires that I be able to financially provide for myself, then the constitution guaranties my right to to pursue such happiness. I fail to see the provision there requiring that I obtain the government's permission in the form of a license. However I do understand that I do not have the right to violate the rights of others in the course of exercising my own rights. There are laws that require me to be able to respond financially for any damage I may do to others in the course of my pursuits. That's where regulation such as requiring insurance or the posting of a bond come in. Regulation should never be used to give advantage to one party over another or to restrict new ideas simply because they are new or not clearly understood. Ulterior motives? You betcha. My motive is that the government needs to mind their own damned business. Especially when they are attempting to regulate industries they don't even understand.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Little Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Randy Hudson A lot of what you said is just commentary and opinion so there it is. Police background checks may occasionally miss something but for the most part are right on. The term gypsy taxi is right on as it just means operating outside the law which they are. If you don't like a law you elect people to change it you don't just ignore it and hope you don't get caught and whine if you do. You may not like it but ALL businesses have to obtain permits, licenses, insurance, inspections, etc to operate. Do you protest like this because the corner store, local gas station, lawn care company, retail store have to follow the laws? I think not. Why do you want an exception for these unlicensed and illegal taxi services? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Randy Hudson Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Actually John Little I do protest like this against all forms of tyranny, including the requirement of business licenses which I believe is a constitutional violation.? Have you ever noticed that business licenses are generally issued by municipalities rather than the state or county? Cities aren't even a valid form of government. Legally speaking cities are corporations. Cities don't pass laws either, they enact ordinances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John Little Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Randy Hudson OK. I understand your viewpoint now and tend to agree with you somewhat. Business is over regulated for sure. But in reality the laws are on the books and need to be followed or we will live in the land of chaos. We are a country of laws and the way to eliminate or change laws is by the ballot box, in my opinion of course. Have a great day sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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