the structure of the RW agenda? PRIVATIZATION!

[druidity33]

maybe you DemNow! fans heard it today...
great interview with:
Si Kahn and Elizabeth Minnich, authors of the new book, "The Fox In The Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy."

<snip>
ELIZABETH MINNICH: One of the important things that we saw with FEMA that it’s harder to see with 9/11, but was also in action, is that the privatization agenda --- it's not just, as Si was saying, something that happens here and there as a technique -- it is a political agenda to destroy, push back democracy and put in its place for-profit culture, corporations, anti-democratic.

With FEMA, what we saw is the same thing we found in our research in all the different areas of privatization, which is: First, you break it - if you're a privatizer – and then you say, ‘Oh, dear, it's broken. The public doesn't work. Government can't run anything. Hand it over to the corporations,’ with the whole mythology about how efficient and effective they are. They broke FEMA -- we know this story now -- by putting in political cronies, by de-funding, by removing it from the seats of power, so that when it was desperately needed, it didn't work well. And the person they had put in charge didn't help it work well. But it had also been de-funded and disempowered.

Then you say, ‘Ah, we need help,’ so we go to the private sector. They do the same thing with the schools: You de-fund. Like on the international scene, you use debt, you de-fund, you make people dependent on the sources of other money, not government, not public money. Then you pull the strings. You impose more regulations and rules. You swamp them, so that they break. The people get mad at them, because they're not doing their job. And then you say, ‘You know who could do this well? The efficient, the effective, the corporations.’

<snip>

AMY GOODMAN: We just have 30 seconds. In your research over years on privatization what surprised you most?

SI KAHN: That they're serious about wanting it all. That Grover Norquist means it, about shrinking government to where we can drown it in a bathtub. Amy, we are trying to -- to use James Baldwin's phrase, we're trying to ring the fire bell tonight. We’re trying to sound the alarm. We are saying they are serious about taking over this country and about operating it. Their vision is of an America owned and operated by the corporations. And we have got to stand and fight back.

more at link:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/07/1438229

[Selatius]

1. Hey, it's capitalism, baby, nothing wrong with private ownership

If a relatively few individuals are allowed to control resources and the means of production everybody needs to survive, then more power to them! They won the game, and they should be allowed to exploit the fruits of the game even if it has a negative impact on the losers because there's no rule in capitalism that says you have to play nice. This is America, where it's life, liberty, and (supposed to be) the pursuit of private property until Jefferson came and fiddled with the last part. :sarcasm:

[Dr.Phool]

2. I saw that this morning

I'll be getting this book very soon.

[pinto]

3. Yep. The privatization of government functions, even under the guise of

more efficiency, is abrogating the essential "contract" the Constitution embodies in the relationship between the public and the government. The Constitution is not just about individual rights and responsibilities, though those are its most tested provisions, it's also about the rights and responsibilities of a government "of those people".

The point made is well taken, privatization is the essential goal of this administrations backers. While Busboy stumbles around, they continue to work toward that goal.

The recent "consolidation" of various government departments and the record of sub contracts from the feds under the Homeland Security umbrella shouldn't be seen as lame duck actions. Bush may be stumbling, and his administration may crumble, but we seriously have to be aware of the mid level corruption the Republicans have brought to the game.

As always, the "check and balance" for this is the Congress. IMHO, 2006 is a great opportunity to help Congress focus on how the federal government is functioning - or not - as the case may be.

[thereismore]

4. Exactly! "privitization" = corporatism in reality! Very insidious. n/t

[bluedawg12]

5. Grubber Norquist has no problem with large corporations

just large government.


Out sourcing Government creates one more barrier of accountability to citizens and removes the control from the people.

We can have a Congressional investigation of any branch or department of government, but, consider KRB or Cheneyburton, how easy is it to monitor their accounting books, or their policies and procedures.

Whenever we hire merc's to fight in Iraq, or contractors to interrogate detainees in abu garib, or contractors to hire corproations to rebuild NOLA we the people lose control over the whole sheebang. It hasn't worked and is dangerous.

[justgamma]

6. Privitization is working well

The private contractors we're paying big bucks for in Iraq. They are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and our soldiers are protecting them.
The private contractors we are paying $1500 per roof to put a tarp on the houses in NO.
The private insurance companies who charge enormous insurance fees.

Yeah that's working well.

:sarcasm: