Then why are the leases long enough that it becomes becomes common to resell rights under the lease before it expires?

Is it really a government-granted monopoly if anyone with a chauffeur's license and proof of appropriate insurance can lease a medallion from the city government? It'd be like buying license plates: something everyone does every 4 years. There would need to be some way to distinguish part-time drivers using services such as Uber from full-timers in traditional taxis because a traditional taxi occupies curbside real estate for a longer part of each day. Any ideas for how to do that?

Oh, and btw: Matt 25:40

Some parts of the US actually still are. But ... give it time.

I can't speak for you, but knowing how hormones work in a young body (being a former young body myself), I sure as hell would want my daughter to know EVERYTHING THERE EFFING IS about contraception. Preferably BEFORE she can get pregnant in the first place.

how can they really be worth that? Isn't each medallion worth 1 taxi cab? I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how 1 taxi cab can bring in enough money to justify that kind of value.

The international perception of the US changed a lot in the past decade or two. When I was young, in the 80s, the US was the place to be. It was the dream land. Freedom, peace and the promise that hard work will make you a rich man.

Today the US are regarded not unlike the USSR was while it still existed, with suspicion and caution. Don't get them pissed off, you know what they can do, and what they have done... Plus, and that hurts me personally quite a bit since I do know a lot of people in the US and found a few very good friends there, the whole religious bit paints the people as somewhat dim witted, naive, if not gullible or even outright dumb. The general sentiment is that in the USSR, the people at least knew their government was bullshitting them, but in the US, they succeeded. The people actually believe that they're living in paradise while in reality they are trapped in a hellhole.

But nobody really would say that openly. Sure, we joke about the US behind its back and make fun of it (mostly the government, less so the people), but nobody would dare say it to their face. In general, the US are regarded as the international politics version of the dim witted schoolyard bully. Nobody would dare speak up against him since we all know he can beat us up good, and if we suck up to him we might even get some spoils when he rips off someone's lunch money, but when he ain't around we're much more happy and we make jokes about how dumb he really is.

It's sad, actually. Mostly because I do know a lot of very good, very intelligent people in the US. What's sadder is that most of them are desperately trying to find employment in Europe with the goal to leave the whole religious cesspool behind them...

Fine by me, but then don't come home crying for state funds for propping up your unemployed, single 16 year old moms.

Well, outside the US, Iran and some other countries I'd not consider for permanent residency, schools are usually required to teach a secular world view.

Commercial console games aren't. But a 25 year old who has been making computer games since 12 is going to have an advantage over someone who didn't write a line of code until university.

Perhaps they are leased in some cities, but in NYC there are million dollar inheritance fights over who gets the medallion.

I think you read too much into it. All she does is trying to force everyone to live by the laws of her imaginary friend.

Especially because conflict-free cultured diamonds have no chance of threatening the De Beers cartel and the "diamonds and guns" that The Transplants sang about. "It's a wicked world that we live in. It's cruel and unforgiving."

</sarcasm>

Why are medallions even sold as an asset, instead of leased from the city government? It just creates a vehicle for private rent-seeking and speculation. Some Slashdot users have tried to answer this in comments to earlier stories about Uber by treating a medallion as a share of the city's curbside "real estate". I can sort of see this, but why isn't it taxed like any other commercial real estate?

Eventually some songs will sound like other songs just by coincidence. There are only about 14^7 = 105 million or so distinct hooks of eight notes.* So if someone wants to honestly compose original music and release it under a Creative Commons license, how is he supposed to ensure he didn't accidentally copy someone else's work?

* 14 is 7 distinct intervals modulo octave equivalence, times 2 for short or long note. Raised to ^7 instead of ^8 because the last note doesn't have an interval or duration.