Why not?

Really, it’s pretty straightforward:

Using a credit card and shopping around or getting a rebate are not mutually exclusive.  Sure, if the place is willing to give me a cash discount greater than my credit card cashback, I’ll (usually) pay cash. 

So, you’re arguing that, best-case, debit cards aren’t WORSE on fraud issues than credit cards.  That’s still no reason to use them...

Except give you a 2% (or more) discount on everything you purchase.

Yeah, if you have meaningful cash in a savings account, makes sense to look around a bit. Good list here...

You do realize your first argument against credit cards is actually an argument in FAVOR of credit cards, right?  

Um, no.  $15/month is $180/year.  At 1% interest (easily obtainable from a wide array of online savings accounts), you need to have $18k in the account to get $180/year, not $400k.  

It may be included, but it ain’t free. 

That’s definitely not NY.  Signs are in French.  Given the cars, I’m guessing Montreal. 

But these weren’t people trying to get away and hopping into nearby cars.  They were people trying to get to work, go shopping, etc.  

Not close to enough.  Increase those numbers 10-20x, and you’re in a decent ballpark.  

If motorcyclists don’t want to wear a helmet, they should be able to get a special license plate for their bikes, indicating that they are exempt from the helmet law. To get that license, they should have to buy an insurance policy that covers any injuries from motorcycle accidents, as well as covering any necessary…

So, in this case, how should Uber have responded?  Not had surge, and had no cars available?

That’s the AG’s assertion, it’s not in the actual law.  The law’s deeply moronic, but that’s another issue entirely.  

“essential consumer goods”

Uber and Lyft are pretty much in line with taxi fares here.  UberX gets $2.55 base, plus $0.35/minute, plus $1.75/mile.  

Demand exceeds supply. Options:

FYI, Uber was already in surge pricing about 7AM today (before the bombing), since demand was higher b/c of the cold weather.  

“Last time I checked being an Uber driver is not as nearly inherently dangerous as being a first responder.”