I lived in Philadelphia for three years, and it is a wonderful city full of great people. It is also home to some of the most corrupt politicians in the country after Chicago. Phildelphia’s stupid laws really hurt average people and raise costs for virtually everything. After all, this is a city where the city’s convention hall required paying union laborers $100 in order to plug in a television until recently. Philly has banned Uber and restricts all sales of alcohol to state run liquor stores. The Parking Authority has impounded Uber drivers’ cars, and most of the city’s restaurants do not even serve alcohol because of the Byzantine and astronomical cost of complying with the liquor regulations. For the DNC this weekend, the transportation sponsor is Uber and the alcohol regulations have all been lifted. Apparently Philadelphia’s stupid laws are good enough for everyone except high ranking Democratic politicians.
DNC partners with uber to shut cab drivers and lyft out of the convention
If Democrats are so eager to install a $15 minimum wage, why not start with their own convention? The infamous Philadelphia Parking Authority reached an agreement with Uber to give them exclusive access to drop off and pick up passengers in front of the Wells Fargo Center where the convention is being held.
Apparently a guy in an Uber shirt blocked cab drivers and Lyft drivers trying to do an honest work picking up and dropping off people from the convention. Taxis are way more expensive and less reliable than Uber. The average Millennial knows this, which is why we started taking them en masse. However, the city council in Philly wouldn’t stand for a fair and open competition with the overpriced taxi industry. They blocked the Uber drivers from competing by harassing them, impounding their cars, ticketing them, and more.
So now that Democrats demand comfortable, cheap, and convenient transportation around the city, what does the city council do? They open up legal competition and set up an Uber lounge in the front of the Wells Fargo Center. Save me the 99%/1% BS, if you’re serious about reducing inequality take the taxis or the Broad Street Line us regular folks take to Sixers and Phillies games.
Pay a Huge markup for your booze at a state run, union controlled alcohol store, unless you’re a democratic politician
Philly and the entire state of Pennsylvania have an arcane set of alcohol laws that date from the Prohibition era. If you want to buy a bottle of Captain Morgan, you have to take a stroll down to your neighborhood state run liquor store. You get to pay an 18% “temporary” Johnstown flood tax. Additionally, you will pay a large markup as the state has the exclusive right to sell all alcoholic beverages, particularly hard liquor. The liquor stores all have union labor, which of course makes everything more expensive. If you want to buy beer in the same store as liquor, too bad. There are state laws that mandate beer must be sold separately.
You would think the party of the working class would support these state run liquor stores and the union workers that staff them. Instead, they obtained an exemption from all Pennsylvania and Philadelphia alcohol regulations for the DNC. Last call no longer ends at 2am, and they can buy liqour at vastly discounted prices from what local residents must pay.
Politicians love Philadelphia’s stupid laws, unless they have to pay the costs and deal with the inconvenience themselves
What we are seeing in Philadelphia is hypocrisy at its finest. Philadelphia’s stupid laws like banning Uber and requiring alcohol sales happen in state run stores are clearly to benefit Democratic leaning constituencies. However, when the leaders of the their party come to town, heaven forbid they wait for an overpriced cab ride or pay double the price for a bottle of rum.
All politicians are corrupt in various ways. The egregious exemptions granted to the DNC in Philly this week show that Philadelphia’s stupid laws are good enough for its residents. However, they are an annoying inconvenience for the party that made them.