patrick.net

Within two years, people will be voting in politicians who promise to deliver on a low, flat income tax, possibly a VAT to replace payroll taxes and finally go after the cronyism/insider scams that drives health insurance up. They will also demand steep cuts in government spending...particularly welfare.

Good point, but that has not worked so far with all the gig workers out there. Without employee benefits, the army of giggies will just demand free medical, citizen's dividend, and other aid from the government.

HeadSet says

AB 5, a bill that would make it harder for companies to label workers as independent contractors instead of employees — a common practice that has allowed businesses to skirt state and federal labor laws. The bill passed the state Assembly last month with overwhelming support and is now headed to the California Senate for a vote at the end of the summer.

https://www.vox.com/2019/6/18/18682002/uber-lyft-drivers-california-ab5-bill

This would not just affect Uber/Lyft. but related workers such taxis and delivery people as well. If companies can skirt laws as easy as Uber has, then other industries will go the app/gig route. This is the first step to prevent the economy from devolving into millionaire/billionaire owners propped up by an army of gig workers, off shore workers, and illegals.

AB 5 is fucking horrendous. It takes jobs that are flexible and basically poofs them. Very few full time jobs will result from it.

You think the stripper wants to go from setting her own hours and making a couple hundred thousand a year to a fixed schedule and getting paid $60k a year?

Uber/Lyft ARE NOT EMPLOYERS! Anyone who thinks they are have serious mental deficiencies. IF you use these services either as a driver or a rider you are a Client of the service. They provide a digital interface that allows people driving somewhere and people needing a ride to easily find each other and share in the cost of the trip. All of the fucktards who think they are employees and believe that they work for a "Taxi" service need to get a life.

They provide a digital interface that allows people driving somewhere and people needing a ride to easily find each other and share in the cost of the trip.

What you are describing is a true ride share, like car pooling. Uber/Lyft are taxi services, where the customer is driven to where he/she wants to go, and the driver is supplying such as a business. Uber/Lyft is not "cost sharing" and never was.

Just tax land and capital gains at a modest rate. Eliminate all taxes, especially income and sales taxes.

Uber/Lyft seesm to have tricked a few drivers in to signing petitions and letters against AB5:

One of the reasons drivers say they’ve been misled is because the messages Lyft and Uber have sent don’t mention AB 5 at all — both companies have markedly refrained from ever mentioning the law in their oppositional messaging — and they also don’t mention the potential for drivers to become real employees. Instead, they warn drivers that changes to California law could take away drivers’ options to drive at the times they want or work for more than one platform.

https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/6/27/18759387/uber-lyft-drivers-misled-companies-political-campaign

CovfefeButDeadly says

AB 5 is fucking horrendous. It takes jobs that are flexible and basically poofs them. Very few full time jobs will result from it.

Total disaster for small businesses. This is another step towards Cali-ezuela

HonkpilledMaster says

Just tax land and capital gains at a modest rate. Eliminate all taxes, especially income and sales taxes.

Best proposal so far. I'm in.

pretty soon they'll make it impossible to hire someone or anyone in America, and then they'll scream for more illegals (because only hirable).

I can guarantee you that Uber and Lyft will not be hiring all of the current drivers they have after this bill passes. I find it very ironic that so many of the very drivers that are demanding better pay and benefits will be completely out of a job because because those demands are met. It will not only be a few layoffs, or rather just not hiring those people since they never technically were employed by them. There will be a lot of layoffs. Low pay had to be better than no pay.

In addition, many people think they will be getting a big giant raise. I doubt it. Since the cost of labor is going up, ride fares will go up. Increased fares means less riders and less riders means more time sitting idle collecting minimum wage. Not only that but workers will no longer have the option of overtime. Short on money and need extra hours? Too bad! Only scheduled 20 hours this week? Tough.

I can get that people want a better life and want more money. It seems to me that if there were better options available to drivers then they would take them. Nobody is forcing these drivers to work at low pay, and basically everybody is hiring right now. If Uber and Lyft are really that bad then why continue to work for them?

Anyway, just my thought on the matter.