Opinion

Uber Accused of Price Gouging Customers Fleeing NYC Violence

It only took a few years for Uber’s novelty and innovation to wear off.

Published

1 month ago

April 15, 2022

Andrew West

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As Uber arrived on the scene several years ago, there were plenty of people who predicted that they would cease to be innovative in only a matter of years, and they seem to have been spot-on.

Not only has the quality of service declined across the board, but Uber’s business practices are also conspicuously poor, with drivers still barely making a living wage despite the enormous profit that the company itself makes.

Now, to make matters worse, a massive spike in fares during the aftermath of Tuesday’s Brooklyn subway attack shows that the rideshare leviathans have a lot of work to do still.

On Tuesday, after the horrific subway shooting that injured at least 29 people, Uber and Lyft appeared to enact surge pricing — when strong demand causes fares to spike. There was an outcry from riders on social media — including Shannon McDonagh, who tweeted an image from the app appearing to show a $68.49 fare from Sunset Park to Long Island City. (An Uber spokeswoman told The Post the company put a “cap” on all prices, but wouldn’t specify amounts. Later that day, the company agreed to refund riders who were charged surge pricing. Lyft also said it would adjust fares for customers who paid higher prices when the shooting occurred.)

And then…

Hours after the horrific subway shooting, Beffa opened the Uber app before meeting friends for dinner on the Upper East Side and nearly did a double take at the $42 charge to get 10 minutes uptown post-rush hour. She reluctantly took the subway instead.

“I was trying to avoid the subway because of the shooting but there was no way I was paying $42 for one way,” Beffa said. “Just getting somewhere can end up costing more than dinner.”

The news won’t come as a surprise to many Uber customers, however, as prices on the app have continued to rise, even after pandemic-era stressors to the company have disappeared.

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Opinion

Republican Turnout far Exceeds Democrats | Schaftlein Report

Guest: Jeffrey Dunetz – LidBlog Author ( LidBlog.com )

Published

19 hours ago

May 19, 2022

Andrew West

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Republican Turnout far Exceeds Democrats | Schaftlein Report
—————————-
Guest: Jeffrey Dunetz – LidBlog Author ( LidBlog.com )
Topics:
1) Democratic turnout increase by 3% while Republican gains were 38%
*GOP is up on the Generic ballot by a range of 4-8%
2) In Georgia where Biden claimed “Jim Crow laws to prevent voting among minorities”, there is record turnout – Another Democratic lie exposed for the fraud they portray
3) Oz leads McCormick by 1,240 votes with mail in ballots still being counted – The lead is shrinking
4) Speculation about Biden not running in 2024 grows – Why would he – His presidency has been a total failure
*His approval rating is at 36-39%
5) Russian colonel on state TV says the war is lost in a stunning revelation
6) Russian Denazification is total propaganda and hypocrisy
7) China is in discussion with Russia to buy discounted oil
8) Gas prices hit an average of $4.59 today the highest ever
a. Mortgage demand plummets as rates on mortgages rise to highest level in 13 years
b. Initial jobless claims increase to 218K to touch highest level since January – It is still very low as jobs are plentiful
9) DHS “pauses” the Disinformation Board – For now?
10) Musk claims Democrats are the party of division and hate – We agree

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https://rumble.com/embed/v12psp7/?pub=4 Republican Turnout far Exceeds Democrats | Schaftlein Report —————————- Guest: Jeffrey Dunetz – LidBlog Author ( LidBlog.com ) Topics: 1) Democratic turnout increase by 3% while Republican gains were 38% *GOP is up on the Generic ballot by a range of 4-8% 2) In Georgia where Biden claimed “Jim Crow laws to prevent voting among minorities”, there is record turnout – Another Democratic lie exposed for the fraud they portray 3) Oz leads McCormick by 1,240 votes with mail in ballots still being counted – The lead is shrinking 4) Speculation about Biden not running in 2024 grows – Why would he – His presidency has been a total failure *His approval rating is at 36-39% 5) Russian colonel on state TV says the war is lost in a stunning revelation 6) Russian Denazification is total propaganda and hypocrisy 7) China is in discussion with Russia to buy discounted oil 8) Gas prices hit an average of $4.59 today the highest ever a. Mortgage demand plummets as rates on mortgages rise to highest level in 13 years b. Initial jobless claims increase to 218K to touch highest level since January – It is still very low as jobs are plentiful 9) DHS “pauses” the Disinformation Board – For now? 10) Musk claims Democrats are the party of division and hate – We agree

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Opinion

Empire State Goes Tyrannical with Social Media Spying Plan

This is NOT okay.

Published

23 hours ago

May 19, 2022

Andrew West

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There are plenty of ways in which American politicians can react to a tragedy, with a great many of those options being a bit shortsighted.

This is especially true of Democrats, it seems, as their innate progressivism makes them uniquely obsessed with change for the sake of change – even when those changes may be constitutionally questionable.

The latest example of this comes to us from New York, where a racist massacre at a grocery store has the state government looking to spy on citizens’ social media accounts.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Wednesday announced plans to create a police unit designed to, in part, combat “hate speech” in the wake of the tragic shooting in Buffalo, promising to “confront this epidemic head-on.”

“We’re proposing a comprehensive plan to combat domestic terrorism, strengthen state gun laws, & investigate social media platforms promoting violent extremism,” Hochul announced Wednesday.

“In wake of the racist act of terror in Buffalo, New York will lead the charge to confront this epidemic head-on”.

The devil was in the (lack of) details:

One of the governor’s executive orders instructs the State Police to establish a “dedicated unit within the New York State Intelligence Center (NYSIC) to track domestic extremism and increase social media monitoring at the Intelligence Center.”

“The unit will be responsible for developing investigative leads based on social media analyses focused on radical extremist activities motivated threats by identifying online locations and activities that facilitate radicalization and promote violent extremism,” it reads in part.

Without any clear or concise guard rails, those employed within the unit would be left to examine any number of questionable pieces of alleged “evidence”, tagging and cataloging completely harmless users in the sort of overreach that would have George Orwell not only rolling over in his grave, but kicking at the lid of his coffin as well.

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There are plenty of ways in which American politicians can react to a tragedy, with a great many of those options being a bit shortsighted. This is especially true of Democrats, it seems, as their innate progressivism makes them uniquely obsessed with change for the sake of change – even when those changes may be constitutionally questionable. The latest example of this comes to us from New York, where a racist massacre at a grocery store has the state government looking to spy on citizens’ social media accounts. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Wednesday announced plans to create a police unit designed to, in part, combat “hate speech” in the wake of the tragic shooting in Buffalo, promising to “confront this epidemic head-on.” “We’re proposing a comprehensive plan to combat domestic terrorism, strengthen state gun laws, & investigate social media platforms promoting violent extremism,” Hochul announced Wednesday. “In wake of the racist act of terror in Buffalo, New York will lead the charge to confront this epidemic head-on”. The devil was in the (lack of) details: One of the governor’s executive orders instructs the State Police to establish a “dedicated unit within the New York State Intelligence Center (NYSIC) to track domestic extremism and increase social media monitoring at the Intelligence Center.” “The unit will be responsible for developing investigative leads based on social media analyses focused on radical extremist activities motivated threats by identifying online locations and activities that facilitate radicalization and promote violent extremism,” it reads in part. Without any clear or concise guard rails, those employed within the unit would be left to examine any number of questionable pieces of alleged “evidence”, tagging and cataloging completely harmless users in the sort of overreach that would have George Orwell not only rolling over in his grave, but kicking at the…