"Missing the Point Entirely" Quote of the Day
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"Thank God for democracy!"
--George Bliss, pedicab industry spokesperson
To elaborate: Mr. Bliss' rather bizarre and utterly myopic reaction is to the news that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to veto a bill restricting the aforementioned pedicabs to 325. The bill, nominally the work of the hotel and theater industries, was certainly more eagerly sought by the taxi industry, and of course the current pedicab owners -- who, presto!, would suddenly have become a government-imposed cartel. Ain't "capitalism" grand?
Meanwhile, it was precisely "democracy" (i.e., unbridled majoritarianism) that created the pedicab conundrum in the first place. The bill restricting pedicabs was quite "democratic" -- as will be the legislative override of Bloomberg's veto that is generally presumed to take place.
Thank who for what?
Why should these private entrepreneurs, who generate no bona fide negative externalities and who are apparently providing a service that people are willing to pay for, be subject to a legislative ban? By what theory, other than rent-seeking and mob-rule, does a city council arrogate to itself such power? How is giving fewer people fewer options acting in "the public interest"?
When it comes to limitless regulatory control over the economy and entrepreneurship, it's not "Thank God!" but rather "God help us!"
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Bloomberg, who took a break from imposing smoking bans and trans fat bans and baby formula bans, and from pushing for stadiums and Olympics and tagging diabetics, issued the following statement:
--George Bliss, pedicab industry spokesperson
To elaborate: Mr. Bliss' rather bizarre and utterly myopic reaction is to the news that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to veto a bill restricting the aforementioned pedicabs to 325. The bill, nominally the work of the hotel and theater industries, was certainly more eagerly sought by the taxi industry, and of course the current pedicab owners -- who, presto!, would suddenly have become a government-imposed cartel. Ain't "capitalism" grand?
Meanwhile, it was precisely "democracy" (i.e., unbridled majoritarianism) that created the pedicab conundrum in the first place. The bill restricting pedicabs was quite "democratic" -- as will be the legislative override of Bloomberg's veto that is generally presumed to take place.
Thank who for what?
Why should these private entrepreneurs, who generate no bona fide negative externalities and who are apparently providing a service that people are willing to pay for, be subject to a legislative ban? By what theory, other than rent-seeking and mob-rule, does a city council arrogate to itself such power? How is giving fewer people fewer options acting in "the public interest"?
When it comes to limitless regulatory control over the economy and entrepreneurship, it's not "Thank God!" but rather "God help us!"
---
Bloomberg, who took a break from imposing smoking bans and trans fat bans and baby formula bans, and from pushing for stadiums and Olympics and tagging diabetics, issued the following statement:
If the public wants more pedicabs, why shouldn't the public be allowed to have more pedicabs?" he asked. "If the public doesn't want 'em, nobody's going to drive 'em because they can't make a living. So let the free marketplace decide.How can someone be so utterly schizophrenic on matters of economic liberty?
Related Posts (on one page):
- "Missing the Point Entirely" Quote of the Day
- Big Doctor is Watching You
- NYC's War on Baby Formula
- The War on Diabetics -- An Update
- New York Diabetics May Lose Privacy Rights
Posted by Kip on
1 April 2007
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