Acceptable risk. At 25 you're immortal.

That's how the law works. Blame legislators. They have but one tool, and wield it when they will.

And the tool is force.

Government pays for nothing. Taxpayers pay for everything.

There you go again...

Most taxi drivers where i live (Phoenix) are independent contractors. Sort of like long-haul truckers.

That is NOT why the ADA exists.

No.

If you drive a car in the U.S., you probably need to have auto insurance. You avoid insurance by not driving a car. You avoid driving a car by living and working where alternative transport is available. Yes, this means most of North Dakota is not a place to try and go without a car, while Manhattan or inner city Boston is a great place to go without a car, though Boston will challenge you with more hills and snow.

If you lived in America more than about 6 years ago, you could go without health insurance, paying as you go for care if needed. I didn't see a doctor or need any care for more than 7 years at a time twice in my life, punctuated by a broken leg (soccer) and shoulder pain (occupational), during which time I had employer subsidized insurance for only a few years. The broken leg I paid for. Now in America you 'need' health insurance, because the government has decided you do. Lots of people disagree.

Need. You may be using that word incorrectly.

"Most parking space are not handicapped spaces. You only need enough to serve."

Actually, you only need enough to satisfy the requirements of the law. Whether that is enough to serve the need is not even the point.

"If this is a service that is needed by people, then it should be provided by government"

You do know this is about Uber operating in Massachusetts, right?

It's popular to think "it should be provided by government", and wrong. Indeed, one of the most damaging changes in our nation is this concept that the 'government' should be providing.

By this example, the 'government' should:

- Operate supermarkets and other stores that sell food.
- Build and manage housing of all kinds.
- Produce and distribute clothing for all.

Uber should be left alone on this if they disclaim availability of transportation for those who require significant accommodations. The alternatives are readily available, and cost is not a criteria.

The ADA has been used to punish businesses enough. Time to at least once challenge the government expansion of control. At least in this instance..

"Should be burden of proof that the current employees were failing at their jobs."

You think 'failure' is the only legitimate reason to engage a contract firm to perform work for a corporation, displacing full timers?

Cost is always a legitimate reason. Get back to me when the law says you can't buy the store brand tomato soup if you wish because it displaces the well-known national brand. Or you can't change your car insurance just to save money.

Enforcement isn't being done now. You think more rules and legislation fixes anything? Enforce the current law first, and get back to me on how you get that done, k?

Much of what has crippled our nation is simply failure to enforce existing law. The rest is easily solved.

Our President is not an idiot. He's calculating, deliberate, and intentional.

Do you think for a moment he's not executing his intentions, largely with the support and assistance of Congress, even now?

Don't play the 'idiot' card. You are dead wrong. In fact, the last 5 Presidents can be dismissed as 'idiots' if you pretend, and squint enough. They each had their own agendas, strategies, and goals. Only one had any significant trouble fulfilling their intentions, and he got saddled with a need to go to war, which only partially satisfied his goals and ambitions.

And the one before these 5? He was an unfortunate idiot, a decent man that thought to his last day in office that he could make a difference. He has had a more positive influence in the world since his Presidency than during it.

Make that "devoted to the welfare of their members.". Touch keyboards...

American unions aren't dead, they are just corporations allegedly devoted to the related of their members.

In reality, most are devoted to taking large salaries, ensuring their continued existence, and influencing legislation to achieve those goals.

When their members realize they have TWO corporate masters, where non union workers only have ONE, then things can change. And as the unions strangle their corporate adversaries, they shed members. Eventually the leadership 'retires'.

$1200 is not a high deductible, and hasn't been for some time.

I was a W-2 contractor for 7 years until corporate policy forced them to convert me. Got my 2009 15% pay cut back, fully covered the difference in health insurance, and got paid vacation - net win. No more or less job security.

But I've also done 1099 work, and it took me a while to get the hang of it. When I did, I focused exclusively on getting the work done. This gave me really mornings, really early end of days, and most Fridays off. And, I know kinda weird, but I terminated my own contract when there was no more to do. They never intended to hire me on full time, which I knew..

A 1099 should be able to:

Use whatever tools they choose to do the work, with reasonable accommodations for systems, languages, platforms, etc in the IT world.

Work wherever hours they find necessary, while being available for reasonable meetings, collaborations, and reports.

Be expected to deliver a definable project, product, or service with a definable timeframe or deadline.

Not be expected to manage employees or other contractors unless part of aaaspecific team defined in advance.

Not be expected to perform work that can be defined by hours worked, especially if that definition could lead to defining some work as overtime.

It is possible that the state may exempt itself from federal law, but I wouldn't count on it. I've also been part of three DOL enforcement actions, two for overtime and one for disclosure and failure to pay benefits and severance according to contract. It's not always a good idea to try to rat out an employer. Labor may also audit you. And then the IRS piles on. It does not get better very fast.

Given a choice, I might prefer 1099 in the future, but a W-2 contractor is not a bad gig, so long as you understand that you probably have lightly or no wage security, no tenure, and so no real security at all other than the client's integrity and your agency's lack thereof.

My religion doesn't tell me to kill anyone, and I don't, though not just because of my religion.

My religion doesn't require that I hear the voice of my God, contrary to popular misstatement. It does, however, accept that if my God wanted to speak to me, He could. And if I cared to listen, I could hear Him.

My religion doesn't even tell me that you have to agree and believe as well. In fact, it teaches me that you probably will not, and I should not be dismayed at that, nor expect that I can change your mind.

However...

There are popular belief systems in America that believe killing people is ok, if you do it early enough.

And similar belief systems that believe that having a weapon is, itself, proof of mental disease, so long as you limit the definition 'weapon' to something fairly specific. And if those who do possess these weapons object to being deprived of them, that also is a sign of disease.

And similar belief systems that believe those who disagree are, by definition (disagreeing) mentally diseased, and should be silenced, compelled to live under that belief system, and their children taught that their parents are, indeed, diseased.

Who's crazy? No, I'm accurate. Think it over.