Am I misunderstanding, or are you saying that freelancing and independent contracting should not be permitted under any circumstances? Is there no sufficient amount of money where you'd acknowledge that workers are not being exploited in a fee-for-service structure?

And what about small business owners, who effectively have zero paid leave or vacation?

> are you saying that freelancing and independent contracting [and small business owners] should not be permitted under any circumstances

It's a good question and I'm not sure. I think my answer is some weak form of "yes." My goal is to enforce a good work-life balance, I think society benefits from a healthy workforce. So they wouldn't be impermissible per se, but they should meet those same requirements. However, obviously that's really hard to enforce for a contractor type situation, and some people genuinely thrive in their jobs in a healthy way. So, I don't know what the right balance is. I believe France has some mandatory maximum work hours regulations. Those might be interesting to look into.

I know some will argue this point, but I really do think it's clear that gig workers don't fall into those two categories, regardless. The power dynamics are totally upside-down between traditional independent contractors and SBOs, and Uber/Lyft drivers.

You've lost me now. You've gone between multiple topics and I don't really understand what your stance is. Are you saying:

- There should be a limit on number of hours worked (regardless of type of employment).

- Everyone should be an employee, and not a freelancer or otherwise independently employed

- Everyone should get benefits

Or all 3? Those are all to me at least independent things. You can have work hour limitations as a contractor or you can be an overworked employee.

> - Everyone should get benefits

Yes.

> - There should be a limit on number of hours worked (regardless of type of employment).

I'm not getting into the specifics, my point is everyone should get the worker protections we have developed over the decades. If that includes mandatory time off, great, but it doesn't have to. I pointed to France's model as one potential example of how it might apply to non-employees like contractors.

> - Everyone should be an employee, and not a freelancer or otherwise independently employed

I don't care about the categorization so long as the worker protection regulations are being met.

What about small business owners? If I open a restaurant I can only work 8 hours a day 5 days a week? I need to take 3 weeks off a year?

> So, I don't know what the right balance is. I believe France has some mandatory maximum work hours regulations. Those might be interesting to look into.

I never thought I would see the French system pointed to as a potential example. If you’re talking about the 35h week keep in mind that it is a really contentious topic there!

I wouldn't use France as a model for economic regulations. I love the country, but its economy isn't one of its strong areas. Ironically, many companies in France primarily hire contractors now because of the many onerous regulations around employees. One of Macron's big pushes has been to try to make the French economy more competitive by stripping some of that out, but it's obviously been controversial.

Also, why should a bureaucrat tell me what the appropriate work-life balance is, as an independent contractor? I'll decide that balance for myself, based on my life situation, thanks.

> Also, why should a bureaucrat tell me what the appropriate work-life balance is, as an independent contractor?

Because otherwise it tends to be a race to the bottom.