Anonymous Jul 2, 2014 at 3:58 pm

Comments

1
snitch is such an ugly word.
2
Thank you! That's awesome. Kudos to you for taking action! Renting a room to travelers is one thing; renting entire homes and apartments makes an already difficult and increasingly expensive rental market even worse. The more of these illegal rentals they crack down on, the better. I'm tired of the damned tech/web industry trying to take over everything. Google fiber? AirBnB? Kevin Rose trying to destroy historic homes? This crap needs to stop.
3
Yeah right, AirBnB is the reason rents are so high...

Meanwhile downtown hotels in this town can be booked solid for $250 a night.
4
Rents are "high" because there are people willing to pay them. Period.

Instead of trying to sabotage someone else's venture, maybe go out and try to create something yourself? You know, participate in the economy? Maybe even wrangle up some real money and rent a tits apartment for yourself?

Or, wait, is it cuz the 1% is totally keeping you down?
5
Subject matter to one side, A+ for being a classic I,Anon outing: this wasn't you whining about a vaguely awkward interaction at the store, this was a post about you (may-be) surreptitiously fucking someone over.
This is in the original, intended vein of this column, and even though you sound fucking delusional about the nature of the rental market, A fucking plus on the post.
6
LOVE AirBnB! I've rented some wonderful rooms and entire condos while on vacation through AirBnB. The money you spend on those rentals goes towards REAL people, not some faceless corporation bent on never ever changing those fucking jizzed-up sheets.

You are a tattletale, cockblocking piece of shit and don't let anyone tell you different.

In closing: FUCK YOU!
7
Along the same lines: fuck Uber. Our city doesn't owe their corporation any favors. I'm tired of spoiled twentysomethings complaining about not being able to immediately a cab at bar time on a Saturday-- what the fuck did you expect? You'll wait in line for doughnuts, overpriced brunch or shitty white-people-style tacos but as soon as you have to wait 30 minutes for a safe ride home for your drunk ass, you flake out and play victim. What a load of shit.

If you think Uber will solve anything, you've likely never worked a day in your life. Portland cabbies work hard and put up with a lot of shit, and if you keep advocating for Douchebag McGee's startup to "disrupt" the livelihoods of many hundreds of blue-collar Portlanders, then you deserve the shittiness you get.

When Uber goes tits up or gets bought out or just turns to shit, what do you think you'll be complaining about? And there won't be a half-dozen established independent companies waiting to take up the slack, because your selfishness, immaturity and greed were way too eager to funnel cash into a soul-sucking tech-flogging scam that wants to make a buck, nothing more.
8
Seriously. Wow, what a dickhead move.
9
Blaming anything on AirBNB is hilarious. Anon must've had his application at the The Wyatt rejected so now it's revenge time.
10
You are not a cockblocking piece of shit. You are one of my personal heroes. Chunty, yes! Please, tell all your friends.
11
Chunty:

> If you think Uber will solve anything, you've likely never worked a day in your life. Portland cabbies work hard and put up with a lot of shit, and if you keep advocating for Douchebag McGee's startup to "disrupt" the livelihoods of many hundreds of blue-collar Portlanders, then you deserve the shittiness you get.

^^ I can't get on board with that kind of thinking. It's the same angle the Republicans use to support coal miners ("you can't get rid of coal miner jobs, where will they go?! How will they support their families?!") Times change, the way things work change, and the internet and social media will surely have a hand in many of those changes.

One could just as easily argue that Car2Go and Zipcar hurt cabs too, but that's life. Someone comes up with a better idea and the industry shifts. If we refused to innovate, all in order to preserve antiquated jobs, we'd have rotary phone manufacturers still doing business instead of smart phones.
12
Don't you DARE start in on rotary phones.
13
AirBNB?!??!?!? I fucking hate that name!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have no issue with the service they provide, but change that stupid fucking name for Pete's sake. I feel like an idiot when I say it out loud.
14
"Instead of trying to sabotage someone else's venture,"

It isn't a "venture." It's an apartment, that technically belongs to someone else. If your lease does not allow subleasing, which it most certainly does not, then you don't have a "right" to be an AirBnB host.

Plus, your neighbors fucking hate you, and their needs count as well.
15
What Airbnb does is illegal in many cities. Illegal, period.
They don't care. The only people that are for this are those who make money
from it, and those who save money staying in these illegal unregulated hotels
that may be on your block.

Their public statement is basically--Yes, we knew what we were doing was
illegal, but now we have enough money to pay you off? How about it? And please don't mention that the owners of
these rentals may owe years of back lodging taxes for operating under the
table.

Here is an article from the Salt Lake Tribune that is on
point. I have quoted the most relevant
section below. The writer understands
the truth behind the "sharing economy"

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/57951519-82/sharing-money-economy-giving.html.csp

At its most benign, calling things "sharing"
that are actually no different from traditional commerce is just empty
marketing. It might also crowd out other activities that used to be done for
altruistic purposes (like donating your old clothes to Goodwill rather than
selling them on the Internet, or offering a friend a ride to the airport
instead of charging for the service).

But more perniciously, this semantic sleight of hand has
been used to justify tax evasion and other kinds of law-skirting. Of course you
shouldn’t have to pay hotel taxes if you’re just "sharing" your home!
And of course you shouldn’t have to submit to health-department restaurant
inspections if you’re just "sharing" your kitchen with paying
customers every night! Or get a taxi medallion or commercial insurance if
you’re just "sharing" your car!

There’s nothing inherently unethical about monetizing
skills or capital that are otherwise lying fallow, and no doubt many of these
new "sharing economy" platforms are helping some 99-percenters make
money in flexible, rewarding, creative ways. But to call these activities
"sharing" is an insult to the intelligence of existing businesses, regulators
and 5-year-olds everywhere.
16
Porn party anyone? A place to have our escort service do business with no one watching? Let's rent an airbnb. What is next? How about an illegal casino? Don't worry, you owners who rent the space will never know what we are doing, and if we destroy your place, Airbnb will pay for it. It's a win-win. Just tell your neighbors to stay out of our way, or else.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/unexpected-sex-party-destroys-pricy-chelsea-apartment-article-1.1723825

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/reality-hits-airbnb-after-users-home-is-vandalized-trashed/53350

http://nypost.com/2014/04/14/hookers-using-airbnb-to-use-apartments-for-sex-sessions/

http://pando.com/2013/11/18/airbnb-host-left-violated-after-busting-fanny-pack-clad-male-prostitutes-in-her-apartment/

http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2013/06/top-5-airbnb-home-rental-horror-stories.html
http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/bed-bonkfest-hookers-abuse-airbnb-3434293

A commentator recently said this about this new sharing economy. “Sharing? This looks a lot like renting to me”.
And the argument that we should ignore the law because this is new, or profitable?

Are you kidding? If the voters want the law changed, then so be it. Until then, why is any city allowing an illegal business to operate?
The Attorney General of NY state has forced Airbnb to turn over their rental records so that they can investigate these illegal rentals. Maybe they will pursue them for back taxes and penalties.

It’s time that every other city and state did this and taught those who cheat the system a lesson.
17
I am sensing that Bob Oncle feels strongly about this issue.
18
Looking at a trip to London this fall and basically there's no way I'd have enough money to stay anywhere besides AirBnB... Oh well, affordability trumps the supposed immorality of someone renting an apartment room for the night.
19
OMG ~ Deezus ! Your immoral poverty is cheating the highly moral system that serves us all so well! Oh, wait, London. You're cool & i'm jealous.

Please wait...

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