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This argument seems to beg the question (in the actual meaning of that phrase), at least w.r.t Uber and AirBNB. All the problems they've had have come from the
by jvm 14y ago
This argument seems to beg the question (in the actual meaning of that phrase), at least w.r.t Uber and AirBNB. All the problems they've had have come from the regulatory authorities, except for those one or two bad incidents on AirBNB which are pretty much unavoidable in a business like that. So is the argument that regulation is good because it's hard to cope with the regulators?
I just don't buy into the abrogation of common sense argument for regulation. If you let random people stay at your apartment, there's a chance they'll destroy it. If you're really worried about that then buy renter's insurance or don't sublet your place! If you give your bitcoins to some random website, there's a chance it'll get hacked! It's not like those people didn't have option of putting their money someplace more secure, like a bank.
I think regulation in general is really important for making our society a decent place to live, but when it makes reasonable activities effectively illegal that is generally a sign that it has passed that point and started making things worse.
- rprasad 14y agoAll the problems they've had have come from the regulatory authorities, except for those one or two bad incidents on AirBNB which are pretty much unavoidable in a business like that. Atlantic, Wired, the NY Times, Chicago Tribune, and the L.A. Times have variously run horror stories for renters who made the mistake of using AirBNB to book rooms (see, e.g., Toshi hotels and their variants). The whole point of hotel regulations is to protect the guests, not the hotelier.
- jvm 14y agoThis is the freedom from risk argument for regulation? There are plenty of horrible legal hotels in the world. I personally think cheap hotels are an important part of the ecosystem. > The whole point of hotel regulations is to protect the guests, not the hotelier. I wish this were true.
- vannevar 14y agoAll the problems they've had have come from the regulatory authorities... I'm not sure about Uber, but this is most definitely not true of AirBnb, which has come under fire from many neighborhood associations. It's not just your quality of life that gets reduced when you rent your house to bad apples, it's your neighbors' as well.
- jvm 14y agoI guess I can take other people's word on this argument, I live in New York (where AirBNB is illegal) and there's plenty of odd loud people running around my building any given day. Inside a building is different but I have no problem with individual building leases banning AirBNB (I'm sure some would and some wouldn't).