All right, let's get this out there...
First, cabdrivers need a fare increase, regardless of what they're making, because whatever they need to make, they make, but they are working many, many, more hours to get there than since our last fare increase.
(BECAUSE THE PRICE OF GAS HAS GONE UP, UP, AND UP SOME MORE!)
Maybe this fact causes more accidents or anti-social behavior and a proper fare increase certainly reduces both.
Second, there is no need for a lease cap increase, and never will be in the near future. No medallion owner has asked for one. And they're not going to get one anytime soon. Why?
Because they're paying over $100,000 for medallions. Because they're making money, despite the fact that hundreds of cabs are sitting idle on cab lots across the city.
Why are cabs sitting idle? Because cabdrivers aren't making much money at all. Who wants to become a cabdriver right now? Practically nobody.
It's not the economy; we still have decent ridership. Poorer people take the CTA; those who can afford to, take cabs. They ain't gonna take the CTA, even if fares go up 25%. (Not 25% of them, anyhow, do you all GET THAT?)
When the fare increase occurs, CAB OWNERS WILL MAKE MORE MONEY BECAUSE THEY WILL HAVE MORE 'CUSTOMERS'...MORE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DRIVE THEIR IDLE CABS. BECAUSE CABDRIVERS WILL MAKE MORE MONEY.
There is no need for more medallions. A fare increase gets more idle cabs into the street and makes it easier (thus, more likely) to do business in 'underserved areas' whenever it might become opportune.
Want better dispatch services for the 'underserved areas'? Get the cab owners out of the 'dispatching business'; there's no profit motive in it for them. (A natural exception exists...I don't mention it intentionally.)
Want cabdrivers to be more accepting of credit cards? Get the cab owners out of the credit-card processing business. They suck at it. They make money off of cabdrivers with it but have no competitive need to provide better credit-card cashiering services.
If the CIty won't let cabdrivers decide if accepting credit cards is personally a good idea, then the City might as well force them to each, personally, find the best way to handle these...13,500 consumers is a better market-maker than 20 fleets. I'm serious.
If accepting a credit card is beneficial to cabdrivers...we will almost always do it. If accepting a credit card is detrimental to cabdrivers...we will almost always avoid doing it. Human nature. We cabdrivers are, after all, human.
Dirty cabs? Drivers' responsibility. Solely. Mechanically deficient cabs? Owners' responsibilty. Solely.
It's time to bring back the simplicity to this 'business' (not 'industry'), so that each category of individual involved can once again focus on the 'service'...including the Department of Consumer Services and the City Council.
And let's quit the crap about 'shared advertising revenues' and a 'fluctuating meter', the former being overstated as a benefit to cabdrivers and the latter being understated as THE MOST FASCINATING IDEA TO FURTHER RUIN THIS BUSINESS SINCE 'NEIGHBORHOOD CABS'!!!
My New Year's Wish is for Prateek Sampat, Yi Tang, Don Nathan, and any other non-Chicago-cabdriver to GET OUT OF THE ******* WAY (GO AWAY!) of all the cabdrivers who are trying to naturally associate with each other to work together to improve our natural interest in this business.
Prateek Sampat...what benefit have you for Chicago cabdrivers? You spread lies about honest, sincere cabdrivers who don't agree with your employer's agenda and you try to 'latch on' to any cabdriver who suddenly gains some prominence in promoting our common interests. Why are you here?
Yi Tang...you seem obsessed with involving all sorts of lawyers to get some kinds of rulings against the City of Chicago...but you don't drive a cab in Chicago anymore...you drive a limo in the suburbs...why are you here?
Don Nathan...you last drove a cab thirty years ago...so what...why are you here?
I know why Wolf Weiss is around...'cause he is a cabdriver still and he wants to be the smartest 'cabdriver activist' around by telling everyone else they are doomed to failure and he ensures it by doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING himself (other than spread discouragement). I don't care if he plans to take credit for any positive change in the future, but CPTDA IS A JOKE!
-Mike Foulks
Mike,
This ties in with an email exchange I had with Donald Nathan. I decided to print my response here:
Don,
Just to address a point of fact which apparently you're not aware of, you wrote of the Discussion Forum on CabMarket.com, "Prateek Sampat has stopped all postings - for good reason."
He never started. Prateek Sampat never posted at all. What do you make of that Don? Your friends like Yi, Wolf and Diane blame me for my "Snakes in the Morning" editorial for stopping some supposed movement that was happening. But where was the contribution before that?
I've never deleted a Prateek posting or any other from anyone at the Friends. So where's the contribution from this great organization that was on the verge of saving us helpless victims?
Not one posting Don. Not a single announcement. Not any notice of what they're doing. They had been allegedly helping cabdrivers for a year before I published my editorial. Forget CabMarket for a second. Where's the contribution at all? What did they do? Can you name anything?
Before you use the cheap tactic of putting down the forum, let me remind you of how much you post in there.
Before you try to say that Prateek is above all the nonsense that gets posted in there, how would it have hurt to post some sort of dignified notice of what they're doing or of an upcoming event?
By the way, Bhairavi Desai never posted there either, even after all the foot-kissing your sidekick Yi Tang gave her in the forum. She sure seems to have a lot of snickering to do about Chicago in private.
These are the self-proclaimed leaders of taxi drivers in Chicago and New York. Is it any wonder why things are getting worse?
How do you explain not a single posting - not a notice, criticism, argument or critique by Prateek, ever? You don't speak for Prateek. Maybe he can speak for himself.
Regards,
George Lutfallah
Chicago Dispatcher
The comment I made in response to Mr. Foulks, your running dog, should have been made to you. You have more of the bearing of Senator Joe McCarthy. In a few years, you are likely to resemble the memory I have of his bearing on black-and-white T.V. from the early '50's.
The comment was straightforward: "Have you no decency, sir?" You speak of all those who don't join you in lockstep as collective enemies - outsiders - those who have evil motives. It's not much different from calling them "Commies". You villify those whose only goals are to make life a little better for taxi drivers in the Chicago Metro area: city and suburbs both. Those people have no profit motive at heart.
You even lash out at the leader of 10,000+ drivers in New York. Why? What does it get you? Have you no decency, sir?
It is noted that your criticisms are directed to "Mike". Assuming that to be Mr. Foulks, I do wonder how you might deny being in bed with him (figuratively, of course) in a campaign to discredit and disparage all who offer suggestions to deal with current issues other than yourselves.
You win, Senator. It's your bat, your ball, the rules are yours. Why bother to offer anything the further in postings in your "Discussion Forum"?
But I do want to ask, have you no decency, sir?
Don,
Once again, you didn't answer the question. Just a lot of hot air.
Every time I say something that you can't get out of, you resort to name calling or try to change the subject or use some twisted logic to divert attention from the simple fact that you are unable to defend yourself.
You didn't address a single point I made. Are you incapable? You don't have to answer that counselor. I withdraw the question, since I know you can't or won't answer it anyway.
Below is my original posting. I invite anyone to address it.
Don,
Just to address a point of fact which apparently you're not aware of, you wrote of the Discussion Forum on CabMarket.com, "Prateek Sampat has stopped all postings - for good reason."
He never started. Prateek Sampat never posted at all. What do you make of that Don? Your friends like Yi, Wolf and Diane blame me for my "Snakes in the Morning" editorial for stopping some supposed movement that was happening. But where was the contribution before that?
I've never deleted a Prateek posting or any other from anyone at the Friends. So where's the contribution from this great organization that was on the verge of saving us helpless victims?
Not one posting Don. Not a single announcement. Not any notice of what they're doing. They had been allegedly helping cabdrivers for a year before I published my editorial. Forget CabMarket for a second. Where's the contribution at all? What did they do? Can you name anything?
Before you use the cheap tactic of putting down the forum, let me remind you of how much you post in there.
Before you try to say that Prateek is above all the nonsense that gets posted in there, how would it have hurt to post some sort of dignified notice of what they're doing or of an upcoming event?
By the way, Bhairavi Desai never posted there either, even after all the foot-kissing your sidekick Yi Tang gave her in the forum. She sure seems to have a lot of snickering to do about Chicago in private.
These are the self-proclaimed leaders of taxi drivers in Chicago and New York. Is it any wonder why things are getting worse?
How do you explain not a single posting - not a notice, criticism, argument or critique by Prateek, ever? You don't speak for Prateek. Maybe he can speak for himself.
Regards,
George Lutfallah
Chicago Dispatcher
Rest assured young man, there is no "victory". Nor is there "defeat". Your last postings merit no further response. Having hit the nail on the head, I see no point in driving the point in deeper.
It is hardly surprising that you ignore - or, more likely, fail to appreciate the criticsm of your tactics. McCarthy died long before you were born. And unless you had a liberal education - equally unlikely - you probably have no understanding of the Weltenschauung out of which he came.
As I suggested in previous e-mail to you, it's your bat, your ball, your rules. I'll hand it to you. Bye bye, bud. There are enough ways to win results without having anything whatever to do with the likes of you.
The overwhelming majority of the drivers already know that.
Everybody...
Here is where Mr. Nathan 'promises' to quit posting here on Cabmarket.com.
Any bets on whether he'll keep his promise?
I bet he won't; but it's a wager I'll be happy to lose.
I know where Mr. Lutfallah got his education, both in school and on the streets.
Mr. Nathan apparently didn't get a good education at either place because he doesn't know the definition of 'overwhelming majority'. Mr. Nathan couldn't tell you what even fifty (50) cabdrivers think...because he doesn't communicate with cabdrivers as much as Mr. Lutfallah and myself do. (I doubt that he talks to Chicago cabdrivers very much at all!)
BYE BYE MR. NATHAN!
-Mike Foulks, President, Chicago Cabdriver Organization (CCO)
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Replying to:
Rest assured young man, there is no "victory". Nor is there "defeat". Your last postings merit no further response. Having hit the nail on the head, I see no point in driving the point in deeper.
It is hardly surprising that you ignore - or, more likely, fail to appreciate the criticsm of your tactics. McCarthy died long before you were born. And unless you had a liberal education - equally unlikely - you probably have no understanding of the Weltenschauung out of which he came.
As I suggested in previous e-mail to you, it's your bat, your ball, your rules. I'll hand it to you. Bye bye, bud. There are enough ways to win results without having anything whatever to do with the likes of you.
The overwhelming majority of the drivers already know that.
Wolf, Raja and Diane,
You are all taxi drivers and I believe you have a genuine interest in helping Chicago taxi drivers become empowered.
I hope that after reading all of these exchanges between Don and me, and realizing the lack of input given by your Friends, you can see what's really going on here.
If you truly want to help Chicago taxi drivers (I know you do), I offer you my support and assistance and hope you will reach out also to the people at the CCO and AUPD to work with them. You collectively have a lot of experience, which I'm sure they will value.
George Lutfallah
Chicago Dispatcher
I personally like Wolf, Raja, and Diane, but I don't agree with them often. I would like to have regular meetings with anyone who will respect the 'rules' of the meeting, so that we might discuss our differences and find common ground.
By the way, Raja...
A fare increase doesn't create an opportunity for a lease cap increase. Owners can ask for a lease cap increase any time. (I don't think they will get one anytime soon, don't you agree?)
I recommend all of us stay away from Prateek Sampat and Don Nathan and Yi Tang. What have they really done for us?
-Mike
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Replying to:
Wolf, Raja and Diane,
You are all taxi drivers and I believe you have a genuine interest in helping Chicago taxi drivers become empowered.
I hope that after reading all of these exchanges between Don and me, and realizing the lack of input given by your Friends, you can see what's really going on here.
If you truly want to help Chicago taxi drivers (I know you do), I offer you my support and assistance and hope you will reach out also to the people at the CCO and AUPD to work with them. You collectively have a lot of experience, which I'm sure they will value.
George Lutfallah
Chicago Dispatcher
Mr. Nathan,
Maybe a bumbling fool like you should be more careful about who you are directing your insults towards.
I am neither the re-birth of Mr. McCarthy nor anyone's 'dog'.
It is because of your insistence on continuing this inappropriate name-calling and false categorization that I wisely chose to reject you as any kind of associate in the cabdrivers' organizing 'movement'.
Keep on believing that some conspiracy exists between me and George Lutfallah and whoever else if it makes you feel better, but it simply isn't true.
There are a lot of 'profit motives' 'in play' here. You are also not too stupid to be aware of them; you apparently want others to overlook them.
When are you 'going away'?
-Mike Foulks
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Replying to:
The comment I made in response to Mr. Foulks, your running dog, should have been made to you. You have more of the bearing of Senator Joe McCarthy. In a few years, you are likely to resemble the memory I have of his bearing on black-and-white T.V. from the early '50's.
The comment was straightforward: "Have you no decency, sir?" You speak of all those who don't join you in lockstep as collective enemies - outsiders - those who have evil motives. It's not much different from calling them "Commies". You villify those whose only goals are to make life a little better for taxi drivers in the Chicago Metro area: city and suburbs both. Those people have no profit motive at heart.
You even lash out at the leader of 10,000+ drivers in New York. Why? What does it get you? Have you no decency, sir?
It is noted that your criticisms are directed to "Mike". Assuming that to be Mr. Foulks, I do wonder how you might deny being in bed with him (figuratively, of course) in a campaign to discredit and disparage all who offer suggestions to deal with current issues other than yourselves.
You win, Senator. It's your bat, your ball, the rules are yours. Why bother to offer anything the further in postings in your "Discussion Forum"?
But I do want to ask, have you no decency, sir?
