The courts have ruled that Uber has to consider it's drivers as employees instead of contractors.
Uber says in order to pay the drivers minimum wage they'll have to raise rates 110% because of the usual crap that it will entail.
I have taken a number of Ubers and the drivers all have told me that they're fairly content with the gig as it is. They say they're doing OK and are getting by.
I drove cab for a while and I have an idea of how the system works. Uber is actually a little more relaxed than the cab company I used to work for.
It's not like it is slave labor.
Anyway, California has possibly killed another golden laying egg because Uber says they may very well pull out of California. If they do that California not only loses revenue but the less than rich have to find another way to get around. Cabs are more expensive and far less convenient.
Still, it is what it is.
I also read an article where someone claimed Amazon was bullying Seattle by threatening to move somewhere else if the city tried to wallop them for higher taxes.
They're not bullying anyone. They are simply making an economic decision. They will move to another more tax friendly location. I suppose if I was running the show I'd do the same damned thing. They're in the business of making money and high taxes interfere with the process.
I doubt many businesses think they should get away with not paying anything. They know that state and local services have to be paid for somehow. It's just when the city/state starts getting a little too greedy that they consider moving. It's expensive to move.
Maybe Bezos will take Amazon to some desert county somewhere where he can create a wealthy community in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like somewhat of an idea.
Cheap land and room to grow would make a pretty good place to open a big business.
Anyway, back to California.
It's too bad that a lot of industry like Hollywood doesn't decide to leave California and let it wither away on the vine. Their incompetent leadership would reap what they sow.
I read somewhere that some of the porn companies have left after some municipality there demanded condoms on porn actors. I think some of them have moved to Nevada but I am not too sure. Would be no surprise, though.
I would laugh like hell if Disneyland moved to someplace like Nevada. Picture all the rides being taken down and loaded up on trucks and leaving.
While we're at it, New York is no prize, either. I hear businesses and rich people are leaving there, too.
I just hope they don't bring their failed politics with them and turn their new homes into the same sewer they left.
To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this:
http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY