 Kudos to those who have supported the infamous Bill 36 in our esteemed City Council. They have managed to stand in the way of the most advanced technology in the world from providing better and cheaper transportation for the people of Honolulu. Where Uber and Lyft are using the most elegant, equitable, inexpensive systems for getting people around and minimizing congestion in our city, there are those, including the City Council, who want to hang on to the old taxicab model, undermining any possibility of real progress in urban transportation. It's nice to know that the City Council and our city government in general can go backward at such a breakneck speed. It's nice to know that we can reject such beneficial innovation without blinking an eye. It's nice to know that we can disregard 3,000 driver jobs without hardly thinking. It's nice to know that we can politicize yet another public service all to the damage and detriment of the public. Who will stand up for Uber? Who will stand up for Lyft? These are the guys who can give us, who are giving us, the gift of a better city. These are the people who have such great promise and prospect in making transportation work in Honolulu and elsewhere. The old taxicab industry can't stand the competition because they're simply not keeping up. They know that if given the chance, the people of Honolulu will choose Uber and Lyft every time. They beat up their more progressive competition the old-fashioned way by political manipulation. It's not noble right or fair to Uber and Lyft or to us, the public, who need better transportation so badly. It's not noble right or fair, but it's the way things are apparently being done in Hawaii. Of course, it's only a matter of time before this is all made clear to everyone, but by then it may be too late. The fact is that the old guard is standing in our way and damaging our future. Are they serious that the people driving Uber and Lyft cars are dangerous? Ever take a drive with Uber and Lyft? They are us. We are them. They are friendly and upbeat, actually more so than the average taxi driver. And they are better equipped to get us around the city. They do very well and their prices are significantly cheaper. You can see who would come out ahead on the competition. Can we all see this for the reality of it? The proponents of Bill 36 would have us believe that Uber and Lyft drivers need to be vetted. But they are already vetted by Uber and Lyft. Do we really need more bureaucracy here? If the proponents of Bill 36 want to do something constructive, they should lobby to reduce the amount of bureaucracy that affects all taxi drivers. That would be better for everyone. Yes, if you care about our lives together in this city, or if you care about its future, write to your city council members and let them know your views. And I don't mean kudos. This is a ThinkTech commentary. I'm Jay Fiedel.