Bipartisan Plan Is a Stalking Horse for Privatization

[applegrove]

Bipartisan Plan Is a Stalking Horse for Privatization

June 21, 2021 at 4:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 23 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2021/06/21/bipartisan-plan-is-a-stalking-horse-for-privatization/

"SNIP.....

David Dayen: “If you believe that the Senate bipartisan infrastructure proposal is just part of a whole—that some of President Biden’s spending can pass in there under regular order, and the rest in a larger reconciliation package—then you might see it as a benign way to boost Biden’s bipartisan deal-making capabilities without sacrificing anything.”

“But if you see the bill as not wholly additive but subtractive, you might reject it on its own terms.”

“The really scary piece is labeled ‘Public private partnerships, private activity bonds, and asset recycling.’ In the name of building world-class infrastructure, these lawmakers would sell it off in fire sales to private financiers. We have lots of experience with infrastructure privatization that strongly suggests it should be avoided.”

.....SNIP"

[applegrove]

1. This is a really good book on private vs public infrastructure. Goes into

how it has worked in the last century and who benefitted.

"The Sport and Prey of Capitalists: How the Rich Are Stealing Canada’s Public Wealth"

Book by Linda McQuaig

[stillcool]

2. I don't know where I read it...

but the parking meters in a city I think in PA, were sold to some foreign interest. They maintain the parking meters, and collect the money. It read, when it first started they weren't up on holidays and various other idiosyncrasies of American life, so there was a little kerfuffle when people had to put money in the meters on a holiday. Maybe the only reason it was made public. Not that these things aren't on the up and up, but cities and states don't want to advertise that they're selling the land your standing on if they can.

[Hortensis]

3. So bipartisanship is just a way for Democratic leaders to pretend

to pretend they're not really wealth-serving betrayers of the people like the Republican leadership?

Socialist David Dayen believes mainstream liberal Democrats will always betray "the people." I'm sure he's sincere, and that's not a compliment. Any more than is his apparent belief that Democrats who put them in office and say no to socialism -- and to those incapable of talking about us without lying -- are at best as clueless as 100 million bags of rocks.