152 The Sharing Economy

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Every competent person has some under-utilized talent or capacity locked away, unable to perform due to society's impossibly rigged game. The so-called, “Sharing Economy,” gives those people an opportunity to capitalize on their resources, which is why it is anathema to rent-seekers, gate-keepers & restrictive unionists of all kinds who use artificial scarcity & extortion to overvalue their own skills by locking other people out. The Sharing Economy is made possible through smart-phone Apps like Uber that turn anyone with a car & good driving record into a ride service, or Yerdle for second-hand goods, ParkAtMyHouse, Vayable to be a local tour guide, DogVacay for pet-setting, Spinlister for renting your unused sport gear, LeftoverSwap for unused food, HomeDine to invite dining guests to your house, GetAround lets someone rent your car, Zaarly to be a handyman, Lending Club to loan money, Fon to rent your WiFi, Poshmark to sell your used clothing, Postmates to be a local courier & Instacart to deliver someone's groceries.</p> <p>But even if you make some money through your own effort & resources, you're definitely not an employee & probably don't want to be one, you just need enough money to engage in your Millennial lifestyle of room-sharing, video-gaming, outdooring & bar-hopping. Unfortunately, your meager effort to make a little dough is totally undermined by our corrupt tax system, especially with the increasing income & wealth inequality, and embattled Middle Class. Right now, if you make $2000/month income for your participation in the Sharing Economy, over 15% of the very first dollar you earn is taken for Social Security & Medicare. Add to that your normal “poor” person base tax-rate of 10% & you're paying over $5000/year in taxes, primarily to support people better off than you are. So the Sharing Economy gives you a chance to work but you're also going to need to vote to keep others from taking it from you.</p>