Back to top Jump to featured resources

Viewing the Public Good News category archive


Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 2 Comments | Updated on Dec 18, 2012

The Headlines Say It All. When Guns Are Involved, People Die

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/headlines-all-guns-involved-people-die/

A letter to the editor in today’s New York Times succinctly makes the case that when guns are involved, people die. When they’re not, people are hurt. To the Editor: The New York Times, Dec. 15, 2012: Page A1: “Gunman Massacres 20 Children at School in Connecticut.” Twenty children shot, 20 died. Page A9: “Man… Continue reading

Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Nov 8, 2012

Even Superstorm Sandy Couldn’t Stop the Mailman

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/superstorm-sandy-stop-mailman/

“Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds.” Bill Fletcher Jr. of the Institute for Policy Studies tells of how he was reminded of that covenant when in the middle of superstorm Sandy he saw a postal van traveling on his street. And he reminded us that… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Aug 8, 2012

(Corporate) Crime Most Definitely Pays

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/corporate-crime-pays/

The New York Times reports that on August 7 a federal judge approved a settlement between the Justice Department and Morgan Stanley. Here’s the crime. In 2006 Morgan Stanley entered into a complex swap agreement with the New York electricity company KeySpan that gave it a stake in the profits of a competitor, enabling both… Continue reading

drinking water
Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Aug 3, 2012

Revolution of the Thirsty

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/revolution-thirsty/

Karen Piper, Professor of English at the University of Missouri in Columbia informs us of a factor behind the spring uprising in Egypt the mass media missed:  the privatization of water. The American media focused mainly on internal corruption and oppression. They did not report on the role of the international superpowers in influencing the… Continue reading

post-office-300x262
Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Jul 26, 2012

The Chutzpah of Peter Orszag

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/chutzpah-peter-orszag/

If chutzpah is killing your parents then throwing yourself on the mercy of the court because you’re an orphan then Peter Orszag is the poster child for chutzpah.  In his recent article in Bloomberg News he insists the best fix for the post office is to take it private.  Where does the chutzpah come from? … Continue reading

Article filed under General | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Jul 12, 2012

Et tu Europe?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/tu-europe/

Europe is taking a page from the U.S. playbook. “Local governments, desperate to find a way to preserve… (historic) sites before it is too late,” the Washington Post reports, “are making up for budget shortfalls by hanging ads, selling usage rights and, in some cases, putting the structures themselves on the market.” In France, the caretakers of… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Jun 22, 2012

“We’re not going to attack the people who have been there for us.”

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/were-attack-people-us/

Every June the Campaign for America’s Future hosts the well-attended and content-rich Take Back America Conference in Washington, D.C. This year Van Jones, one of the most dynamic speakers in America, with a list of accomplishments long enough that I’ll simply refer you to Wikipedia, delivered an inspiring Keynote Address in which he offered his… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Jun 18, 2012

Our Winnipeg or Theirs?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/winnipeg-theirs/

A new video, released on June 15th by the Canadian Union for Public Employees proves you can communicate a big idea–the privatization of municipal services–by looking at the issue through the eyes of school children. The 5 minute video, made by Winnipeg artists Sean and Christian Procter, uses a light touch and animated figures to… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Jun 1, 2012

A City is Not a Private Corporation Austin Reminds Us

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/austin-reminding-city-private-corporation/

A private corporation has one legal obligation:  to maximize the return to its shareholders.  As Milton Friedman famously remarked, “There is one and only one social responsibility of business-to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profit….” A city is also legally structured as a corporation, but a municipal corporation has… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on May 25, 2012

Everything You Wanted to Know About Private Equity

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/wanted-private-equity/

The hottest phrase on the campaign trail right now is “private equity”.  Mitt Romney made his hundreds of millions as head of Bain Capital, a major private equity firm and insists the company has created jobs and improved the efficiency of the American economy.  President Obama just as strongly insists that Bain and other private… Continue reading