PHIL

Phil used to be my boss at Diamond Cab Co. but he is not with us anymore. Few months ago one of the owners decided to get rid of all the whitties for some reason I can not explain, maybe Phil in his own words will tell us about it!

Phil is a proud Bostonian who lived in Washington DC for a long time and some of you Diamond riders probably are familiar with his voice over the cab radio with his thick Boston accent. Even though Phil and I had our share of yelling matches before, I still believe he is one of the best dispatchers in town. Very political, opinionated and educated, he made the cab driving experience more interesting to drivers like me who had to listen to his editorials and bullshit over the two way radio for years. Unfortunately he works for another cab company and still hacks part time and he is really missed around here. Here is some very interesting comment he posted on my blog in his own words.

"To-day was the telling day for the meters. THEY SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reports from their cohorts and supporters that the Hack Inspectors were not writing that many warnings and were concentrating on hotel stands, caused the illegals to trickle back onto the streets beginning Monday. By Wednesday, they were back at full strength. Once more the swarms of cab driven by unlicensed drivers could be found on the Hill, in Georgetown, on Pennsylvania Avenue and at Eighteenth and Columbia. So lax have the authorities been, that the illegals were once more over parking the Grand Hyatt Stand to the point that they were double parking on Eleventh Street.

So it is back to business as usual: swarms of unlicensed cab drivers taking away customers from those of us who go through the bother and expense of keeping a hacking face; swarms of unlicensed cab drivers, unmolested by the Authorities, as they cheat and mistreat the public.

My bottom line was about twenty-seven dollars less after working my usual six hours to-day. Everywhere that I went I noticed the illegals out in force.

There are five things in this business that are currently inflicting the most harm on us:

1. The alacrity with which the Authorities police legitimate cab drivers.

2. The zeal with which they police legitimate cab drivers.

3. The proportionally equal refusal of the Authorities to protect legitimate cab drivers. This refusal is manifested by (among other things) the Authorities' toleration of the unlicensed drivers in City cabs as well as their toleration of the Virginia and Maryland cabs' working in the City.

4. The price of gasoline.

5. Excessive fines for hack violations.

I can not pay the excessive fees that the Commission currently charges, nor can I pay the excessive fines if I can not pick up customers. I can not pick up customers because the illegals and the suburban cabs are taking them away. The Authorities seem to have no problem with that. They will not run the illegals off the streets nor will they stop Maryland and Virginia cabs from working in the City.

Every time that I mention this to anyone in authority, I get a song and a dance about how they can not do this, or can not do that and how these illegals and suburban cab drivers have this right and that right. Conversely, it appears that as a legitimate and licensed driver, I have no rights. The thug who is going to take my money and/or blow off my head has more rights than I do.

It will never cease to amaze me how little the Authorities can do to those who make every effort to break the law in the most blatant fashion and how much they can do to me, someone who makes every effort to follow the law.

People tend to take the law into their own hands when it ceases to protect them. This, I suspect is the reason that somebody out there has been running around ramming into suburban cabs. If this nonsense from the D.C. Gubbamint keeps up, another legitimate driver is going to take the law into his own hands and someone is going to get hurt. Just because I am an old man and can not do much about this, does not mean that someone else will not try it. If road rage over someone's running a STOP sign at Georgetown Hospital caused a Yellow Cab driver to pull out a gun................... "
Comment by Phil!

By the way Phil, how did you con that hottie wife of yours to marry you bro?

Please don't forget the homeless,

Mad Cabbie.

COMING SOON

Mad Cabbie has been busy the whole month trying to help the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to merge together since they have one thing in common.

"That's not funny at all Mad! We know you come from a Catholic family, Is there some childhood issues and bitterness you want to address?"

I will see you all on Monday and there are tons of stuff to talk about and I owe a lot of people all kind of responses to some of the good email questions I have been asked.

Please don't forget the homeless,

Mad Cabbie.