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@wallace_f and nearly all replies to him assume markets are beyond reproach, question or failure, that if "that's just how markets work", we gotta accept the re

@wallace_f and nearly all replies to him assume markets are beyond reproach, question or failure, that if "that's just how markets work", we gotta accept the results as truth.

wallace_f 9y ago
Quite the opposite. Markets do sometimes need government intervention to serve the functions of efficiency and fairness. But the problem is with the government intervention, not with Uber. Uber provides a service that is valuable to people (otherwise they wouldn't pay for it), and is worthwhile to its contractors (otherwise they would go engage their opportunity cost). If we are to be honest about caring about the poor, then we need to admit that government is not effectively managing the perverse outcomes of capitalism. Instead, they are often exacerbating these problems. Our financial industry, and so many other industries, wouldn't be possible to be so worthless and financially destructive without the current corruption in government. This is unfortunately not the direction the political consciousness is headed in.
- AstralStorm 9y ago
  Is it really worthwhile to the contractors or have they no better options? Does society benefit in amount of 50 billion dollars from Uber? (Note I calculated in a serious money gains in here.)
  - wallace_f 9y ago
    >Is it really worthwhile to the contractors or have they no better options? It could be either, or both. I don't think it is moral to remove someone's natural rights to fight over resources in a world where there we all inherit at birth (as opposed to produce) a world with more than enough wealth for everyone, and then tell them they must serve some market interests to survive. That's why I have supported basic income for over 10 years now. Once BI solves those problems, yea, it's fair. >Does society benefit in amount of 50 billion dollars from Uber? I'm not sure on the exact amount, but the beauty of free markets is the freedom to choose. If people are voluntarily giving their money for something, than it is >= wortht it for them.

@wallace_f and nearly all replies to him assume markets are beyond reproach, question or failure, that if "that's just how markets work", we gotta accept the results as truth.

wallace_f 9y ago

Quite the opposite. Markets do sometimes need government intervention to serve the functions of efficiency and fairness. But the problem is with the government intervention, not with Uber. Uber provides a service that is valuable to people (otherwise they wouldn't pay for it), and is worthwhile to its contractors (otherwise they would go engage their opportunity cost). If we are to be honest about caring about the poor, then we need to admit that government is not effectively managing the perverse outcomes of capitalism. Instead, they are often exacerbating these problems. Our financial industry, and so many other industries, wouldn't be possible to be so worthless and financially destructive without the current corruption in government. This is unfortunately not the direction the political consciousness is headed in.

AstralStorm 9y ago
Is it really worthwhile to the contractors or have they no better options? Does society benefit in amount of 50 billion dollars from Uber? (Note I calculated in a serious money gains in here.)
- wallace_f 9y ago
  >Is it really worthwhile to the contractors or have they no better options? It could be either, or both. I don't think it is moral to remove someone's natural rights to fight over resources in a world where there we all inherit at birth (as opposed to produce) a world with more than enough wealth for everyone, and then tell them they must serve some market interests to survive. That's why I have supported basic income for over 10 years now. Once BI solves those problems, yea, it's fair. >Does society benefit in amount of 50 billion dollars from Uber? I'm not sure on the exact amount, but the beauty of free markets is the freedom to choose. If people are voluntarily giving their money for something, than it is >= wortht it for them.