Dori: Proposed rideshare surcharge is gov. meddling with free market

Jenny Durkan wants a rideshare surcharge for people who use Uber and Lyft in Seattle.

Let me explain why it is almost always horrible idea when government gets involved in private industry.

According to KOMO 4, the city is currently conducting a study (red flag #1) to figure out what the minimum wage of rideshare drivers should be (red flag #2). Then the city will establish a minimum wage for those drivers (red flag #3).

Alright, so let’s say they put in a minimum wage for drivers.

Dori: Durkan’s Uber and Lyft tax benefits politicians, not drivers

There are some Uber and Lyft drivers who hustle their butts off. They are working it from gig to gig, picking up every rider they can get, putting in long hours every week.

But what happens for the drivers who just want the minimum wage and then decide not to respond to ride requests for a half-hour at a time? Will they get the same pay as the biggest hustlers out there?

Also, how much of this tax will really go to the drivers, when the city is already taking about studies and new legislation? The city will likely need new bureaucratic jobs to carry out the regulations. It’s all about expanding government. I’ll bet the drivers would get just pennies on the dollar of this tax — the rest will go to government.

I will treat a rideshare surcharge the same way I treat the 99 tunnel, the 520 bridge, and the illegal toll lanes on I-405 — I will no longer use them. I will not give government more of my money.

If rideshare drivers are upset about not making minimum wage or receiving benefits despite putting in long hours, then they should quit. They should find a more lucrative position. There are many other businesses in Seattle that are in need of employees and will pay you minimum wage. You don’t need government for this.

Government imposing itself to make things more expensive for customers, create more bureaucratic positions, and swallow up the money that they claim will go to drivers is not what we need in this city. We do not need government in the private sector. Free market economics are incredibly efficient and still work, despite what the socialists running this region want us to believe.

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