Competition, You Betcha
Episode Number: 1939Publication Date: Thursday, November 15, 2007
A few months ago, some New York cabbies went on strike . . . not against their employers, but against the city, which has insisted on micromanaging their businesses.
Meanwhile, the city of Minneapolis went the other direction. Minneapolis moved to deregulate taxis. The number of allowed cabs will increase, and by 2010 all caps will be removed. A free market!
So of course the taxicab cartel sued.
Into the fray came the Institute for Justice, a national group of lawyers defending individual rights. These are my kind of lawyers, doing great work for freedom, trying to bring back the U.S. Constitution one case at a time. In their ads they call themselves “IJ.”
The group is based not far from where I live, and I was pleased to learn that they have a Minnesota chapter. I was also pleased to learn that the chapter has taken up a good case, the freedom of individuals to go into the taxi biz.
Even more pleasing? Their work has been successful! U.S. Magistrate Judge Franklin L. Noel sided with the city and IJ and against the taxi cartel. The judge was matter-of-fact: “The [established] taxi vehicle license holders do not have a constitutionally protected freedom from competition.”
Nice choice of words. We have a lot of freedoms, but freedom from competitors isn’t one of them. Freedom to trade with potential customers is.
Competition? Ya sure, you betcha.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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