Posted on 04/18/2015 10:22:37 AM PDT by Rummyfan
Uber, you will be shocked to learn, does not apply rigorous econometric standards to its public-relations material. That is the complaint from Robert Reich and Alison Griswold, who protest that the firm boasts about the jobs it has created when in fact its drivers are not classified as employees but independent contractors. Professor Reich, a lawyer who sometimes plays an economist on television, says: “They can’t have it both ways. They can’t say they’re creating all these new jobs and then say ‘Oh, we’re not responsible for these jobs because they’re not employees.’ That’s double-booking.” We all eagerly await his application of similarly high standards to, e.g., the steady stream of outright fabrications produced by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Harry Reid, etc. It’s a safe assumption that Uber’s PR weasels are the same species of mustelid as every other PR weasel, and I have no love for them. But setting aside the question of whether press releases ought to be obliged to follow the terminological practices of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the implicit Reich-Griswold view is an interesting illustration of the mindset of managerial progressivism, which holds that the normative state of affairs for the vast majority of people in the modern world is to be dependency, either as public wards or as employees. The assumption is that most people cannot be expected to take responsibility for their income, for their health care, for making arrangements for child care and retirement, etc., and so somebody—employers or government—must be deputized to do this for them. (Note Professor Reich’s formulation: We’re responsible/not responsible.) This is the classic progressive view of human beings as liabilities rather than assets, liabilities that are dealt with by the issuance of fortnightly checks and the maintenance of certain benefits packages.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Uber, you will be shocked to learn, does not apply rigorous econometric standards to its public-relations material. That is the complaint from Robert Reich and Alison Griswold, who protest that the firm boasts about the jobs it has created when in fact its drivers are not classified as employees but independent contractors. Professor Reich, a lawyer who sometimes plays an economist on television, says: “They can’t have it both ways. They can’t say they’re creating all these new jobs and then say ‘Oh, we’re not responsible for these jobs because they’re not employees.’ That’s double-booking.” We all eagerly await his application of similarly high standards to, e.g., the steady stream of outright fabrications produced by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Harry Reid, etc.
It’s a safe assumption that Uber’s PR weasels are the same species of mustelid as every other PR weasel, and I have no love for them. But setting aside the question of whether press releases ought to be obliged to follow the terminological practices of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the implicit Reich-Griswold view is an interesting illustration of the mindset of managerial progressivism, which holds that the normative state of affairs for the vast majority of people in the modern world is to be dependency, either as public wards or as employees. The assumption is that most people cannot be expected to take responsibility for their income, for their health care, for making arrangements for child care and retirement, etc., and so somebody—employers or government—must be deputized to do this for them. (Note Professor Reich’s formulation: We’re responsible/not responsible.) This is the classic progressive view of human beings as liabilities rather than assets, liabilities that are dealt with by the issuance of fortnightly checks and the maintenance of certain benefits packages.
A lot of people are finding ways to support themselves without a paycheck every two weeks. By necessity. Its the obama economy.
So, in a perverse way, they can thank Obama for their new-found independence.
“A lot of people are finding ways to support themselves without a paycheck every two weeks. By necessity. Its the obama economy.”
In the county I’ve been buying my rental property in it is against the law for a landlord to put on his own roof. Consequently, a modest sized roof starts at $12,000 and when you improve the materials runs quickly to $20,000. I have “fixed” entire roofs for about $5,000 using the best materials available.
Just putting a roof on using the county rules means the property will never cash flow before the new roof goes bad.
Reich is engaging in philosophical pissantry. Just another sneering elitist.
The sharing economy as exemplified through sites like Uber is a helping hand up for those unemployed and under employed, but it does not replace the sheer loss of jobs through globalization and formal economy replacement of citizens by illegal immigrants.
BS.
If a guy creates a app that connects me with a kid willing to mow my lawn then he has created a job.
Without an easy way to connect with someone I might do it myself or have AstroTurf installed or something else entirely.
What I will not do is go door to door asking if they have a kid who would be willing to mow my lawn for money.
I admit I’m unnerved at how high rents are going these days. Properties that look pretty much the same style and standard floor-plan are now costing up to four hundred and ninety-nine minimum to start. That only includes SOME paid utilities. I’ve been looking to move myself and it’s getting out of control. I just wonder, what on holy mother earth is this country coming to?
You mentioned the price discrepancy between your work and that of hiring someone to do the job, it is frightening to read that even the simplest projects run into the tens of thousands.
Well said, and much better than my effort!!!!
“You mentioned the price discrepancy between your work and that of hiring someone to do the job, it is frightening to read that even the simplest projects run into the tens of thousands.
My county voted a generous $300 average reduction in property tax. They spread the resulting deficit among the landlord-owned properties because we don’t vote. Our taxes went up roughly the same amount. Landlords raised rent. There are fees on everything. Need to do work on the septic system? You must buy a $500 permit and then, because of licensing fees there are darned few people who can do the work. So, they charge thousands instead of hundreds. Everywhere you turn there is a new license or permit fee. All of that gets reflected in rent. The average rent in my rural county has gone up roughly $150/month each year and will likely continue to do so.
Beware every effort to “improve” renter’s conditions via law. For example, there have been numerous attempts to bring all properties up to the latest energy code. The cost of improving mobile home properties are more than the cost of the home. (They are also impractical.) So, all of the cheaper properties would vanish overnight.
Very quietly, as in nobody knew it was coming, the EPA changed the energy standards on water heaters this month. After the old inventory sells out they’ll go from $300 each to $500 each. Did I mention the new ones are significantly larger than the old ones and won’t fit in the same space? So, fitting a new one will require major renovations. I suspect I’ll just stick them outside and build a box around them or go from a 40 gallon to a 20 gallon.
The enemy cheap rent here is government at every level.
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