Ep 105: Uber/Lyft Drivers Race-To-Bottom; Sales Taxes Rob The Poor; Wellstone Remembered
Episode 105: Thousands of drivers in the app-driven ride service business, principally those who work for Uber and Lyft, just can’t make ends meet—and the whole scramble has created a race-to-the-bottom in which companies impoverish the very people who bring in the cash (sound familiar?). To get an insight into the plight of such drivers, I speak with Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the National Taxi Workers Alliance, and economist James Parrott from The New School. Heard the conservative rhetoric about no-income tax states being the easy street place to live? It’s the big lie—because state and local sales, property and excise taxes, which try to fill the budget gaps, are a huge burden, mostly on the not-rich. I explore the issue with Carl Davis of the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy. Lastly, as I do each year as October 25th looms (tomorrow), we remember, with his own words, the late Senator Paul Wellstone, a great progressive champion, who died in a plane crash 16 years ago while running for re-election. The Robber Baron of the week is Republican U.S. Senate candidate in New Jersey Bob Hugin, a former CEO in Big Pharma. -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3
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