This man is truly a menace to society and should be stopped.
Daniel Steiner came to the United States from Brazil more than 20 years ago to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams.
After driving a cab for years, he built a five-car limousine business that has him and his employees ferrying executives, prom dates and, notably, patients to clinics. He juggles the flow with the help of the three constantly ringing cellular phones he carries.
Steiner, 47, could have it all taken away during a hearing this morning.
His sin, as he puts it: charging his customers too little.
Regulators with the county's Public Transportation Commission mandate that limousine operators, whether they drive limos or Lincoln Town Cars, like Steiner, must charge a minimum $40 a trip. They have written up Steiner for charging less.
"I see this country as being built on freedom to work and equality of conditions," Steiner said. "The strength of the United States is its free market.
"This is against the idea of the American dream."
But the transportation commission's executive director says Steiner is interfering with others' efforts to make a buck.
Mainly, said Gregory Cox, Steiner's DSL Transport Service is undercutting the business of cabdrivers who would otherwise field the cheaper service calls.
Cox says Steiner is taking the business of cabbies, who have a hard enough time making ends meet as it is without having to follow the same rules. He doesn't have to be on call 24 hours and take whatever requests come his way, be they long, profitable routes or short, unprofitable ones.
At the same time, Cox says Steiner's business isn't upholding limousine standards either.
"He's in effect doing a taxi service with what we call a limousine," Cox said. "He's undercutting the market everywhere.
Today I found myself moving from one office to another. In the grand scheme of things, I didn't move at all, but I am one hall way over and closer to the printer and copier, yet further from the water fountain. Proximity to the water fountain is important, so this would be considered a negative. But, I have more square footage in a quieter and less heavily travelled area. So perhaps it balances out. I find myself disappointed, for I had subconsciously expected this move to provide more of a welcome change and, thus, greater happiness, at least temporarily. My subconscious expectations were crushed immediately upon becoming conscious expectations. The walls are the same color. The furnishings are newer, but of lower quality, and the same color as the old. The bookshelf is taller, but narrower. My computer is the same. My phone number and phone are the same. My projects have not morphed into exciting new projects, but I have started storing them in metal dividers instead of mere stacks. In other words, the song remains the same.
3:22 PM
