4 ms·

Whoever wants to associate themselves with the law doesn't invalidate the merits of the law itself. I think there is validity to the idea that venues that prov

by majika 15y ago

Whoever wants to associate themselves with the law doesn't invalidate the merits of the law itself. I think there is validity to the idea that venues that provide accommodation should be licensed and certified by the government to ensure quality, safety, and accessibility standards. Do you disagree?

temphn 15y ago
Yes, disagree. Yelp reviews, Google search results, and a million distributed reviewers provide a far more robust evaluation system for quality, safety, and accessibility than a centralized, single-point-of-failure government system. Quality: Zagat's star ratings are superior to anything a .gov agency has produced. Safety: Chicago Crime Maps is superior to anything the Chicago PD has produced. Among other things, a mild tweak can accomodate self reports rather than just things that the police got around to filing (police officers have a number of incentives to understate crime). Accessibility: Google Maps ftw. Will tell you if accessible by car, train, foot, bike. Government agencies can't go out of business (no downside) and have zero incentive to do an amazing job (no upside). It is no surprise that this produces DMV/TSA style mediocrity.
- majika 15y ago
  It's not about evaluation. It's about ensuring standards, as I said. Yelp reviews are irrelevant. Quality: I'm not talking about star ratings. I'm talking about ensuring hygiene and safety (see below). Safety: I was referring to the need for an authority to ensure that the building is safe for use as accommodation. Are its stairs adequate? Is the wood stable? Are the windows high enough? Is its balcony safe? (for children?) Are there any open boilers or pipes? Is there proper air ventilation? Are there mats in its bathrooms? These are all questions that pertain to the safety of people staying at the venue. It doesn't matter that you or someone else might be willing to take the risk to save a couple of dollars. That's not how the law works. Accessibility: accommodation venues should provide facilities for disabled persons as is required by the law. The fact that you run your business on Airbnb should not exclude you from those requirements. >Government agencies can't go out of business (no downside) and have zero incentive to do an amazing job (no upside). It is no surprise that this produces DMV/TSA style mediocrity. Yep, I'm not going to start an argument about the merits of the government as a concept. I would, however, ask you to compare the state of countries that have a functioning, democratic government, and the countries that don't.
  - BerislavLopac 15y ago
    One of the signs of a non-functioning and/or non-democratic government is the wish to centralize everything, all in the name of "ensuring hygiene and safety" (or whatever their subjects will buy).

by majika 15y ago

temphn 15y ago

Yes, disagree. Yelp reviews, Google search results, and a million distributed reviewers provide a far more robust evaluation system for quality, safety, and accessibility than a centralized, single-point-of-failure government system. Quality: Zagat's star ratings are superior to anything a .gov agency has produced. Safety: Chicago Crime Maps is superior to anything the Chicago PD has produced. Among other things, a mild tweak can accomodate self reports rather than just things that the police got around to filing (police officers have a number of incentives to understate crime). Accessibility: Google Maps ftw. Will tell you if accessible by car, train, foot, bike. Government agencies can't go out of business (no downside) and have zero incentive to do an amazing job (no upside). It is no surprise that this produces DMV/TSA style mediocrity.

majika 15y ago
It's not about evaluation. It's about ensuring standards, as I said. Yelp reviews are irrelevant. Quality: I'm not talking about star ratings. I'm talking about ensuring hygiene and safety (see below). Safety: I was referring to the need for an authority to ensure that the building is safe for use as accommodation. Are its stairs adequate? Is the wood stable? Are the windows high enough? Is its balcony safe? (for children?) Are there any open boilers or pipes? Is there proper air ventilation? Are there mats in its bathrooms? These are all questions that pertain to the safety of people staying at the venue. It doesn't matter that you or someone else might be willing to take the risk to save a couple of dollars. That's not how the law works. Accessibility: accommodation venues should provide facilities for disabled persons as is required by the law. The fact that you run your business on Airbnb should not exclude you from those requirements. >Government agencies can't go out of business (no downside) and have zero incentive to do an amazing job (no upside). It is no surprise that this produces DMV/TSA style mediocrity. Yep, I'm not going to start an argument about the merits of the government as a concept. I would, however, ask you to compare the state of countries that have a functioning, democratic government, and the countries that don't.
- BerislavLopac 15y ago
  One of the signs of a non-functioning and/or non-democratic government is the wish to centralize everything, all in the name of "ensuring hygiene and safety" (or whatever their subjects will buy).