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The same reason architects are forced to knock 10 stories off of every building constructed here. The Boston City government has no interest in overturning arca
by ghc 14y ago
The same reason architects are forced to knock 10 stories off of every building constructed here. The Boston City government has no interest in overturning arcane zoning laws that force companies to provide it with concessions (or kickbacks) to get anything done. And this bad behavior is supported by myriad neighborhood groups from the wealthier areas of the city who want to preserve the city as a quaint little museum sitting on the front steps of their Beacon Hill and Back Bay brownstone mansions instead of letting the city grow. See: Shadow Laws.
- jonknee 14y agoDo you think it's possible that the few major cab companies are also very much in favor of laws limiting cabs? Perhaps in favor enough to help keep certain people in office?
- ghc 14y agoOf course the taxi companies want to protect the status quo. Imagine if you had to invest half a million dollars per employee so they could legally operate and then some company claims they don't need to abide by the same system. Nobody wants their investment devalued. But if you think these companies care about keeping Menino in office, you're mistaken. They engaged in a decades-long legal battle to increase the number of available medallions, the limits of which were set in the 1930s.
- jonknee 14y agoMany of the people with medallions have not invested a half million dollars, they have just had them for a long time and have greatly profited by selling them off from time to time.