And that is the anti-competitive part of this notion that the government must first grant you an expensive medallion in order to do business within the city. Considering that the taxi demand isnt even close to being met in NYC (thanks to Uber and Lyft this void has been semi-filled), the government should not be dictating who gets into the market - consumers should. Consumers should be able to choose (through competition) the way they would like to best get around. Whether that is uber, a taxi, or a subway - the choice should ultimately be left to the consumer.
Thanks for you insight!