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

US Post Office Best Deal in the World

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

The US Post Office needs money.  As this chart shows, US postal rates, at 45 cents for a first class stamp, are the lowest in the world, often by far, excluding a few small island countries.  Yet Congress, the Postal Regulatory Commission, set up by Congress in 2006 to oversee the Post Office, has proven… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 17, 2012

A Devastating Critique of the World Bank’s Love Affair With Water Privatization

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/devastating-critique-world-banks-love-affair-water-privatization/

In the 19th century, small private companies in U.S. and European cities supplied water only to those who could pay a premium. Then came epidemics of cholera and other waterborne illnesses, which vividly illustrated the widespread stakes for public health and human life and invigorated the political will needed to make a shared commitment to… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 16, 2012

Tax Day. Time to Demolish Some Common Myths

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/tax-day-time-demolish-common-myths/

Tax Day 2012 is upon us. And given the centrality of taxes as an election issue, it would be accurate to say that Tax Year 2012 is upon us. To inform the tax debate, the Citizens for Tax Justice, one of the most competent of any groups on this subject, has provided the data rebutting… Continue reading

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Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 16, 2012

Are Republican Governors Truly Representing Their Citizens on Health Care?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/republican-governors-representing-citizens-health-care/

A few days ago 26 states argued before the Supreme Court that the health law’s dramatic extension of Medicaid coverage constitutes unconstitutional federal coercion.  ”Congress easily could have designed an act that encouraged rather than forced states to expand their Medicaid programs,” their brief submitted to the Court argues. “By making a conscious decision to… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 13, 2012

Book Burning Hoax Results in Huge Support for Michigan Public Library

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/book-burning-hoax-results-huge-support-michigan-public-library/

Sometimes it takes a truly imaginative hoax to jolt us into realizing how much we value the public. That’s what happened in Troy, Michigan last summer. Nationwide, over 90 percent of public library money comes from local property tax dollars.  Thus every time a public library needs money it has to go to the voters. … Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 11, 2012

Wisconsin To Stop Doing Cost-Benefit Studies Because They Find Public Is Better

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/wisconsin-stop-cost-benefit-studies-find-public/

Back in 2005,  Wisconsin state agencies were found to be spending more contracting out for services than if they were done by existing public employees.  In response the legislature, with bipartisan support, passed a bill requiring agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before privatizing large public contracts. By far the biggest state government outsourcer was… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 10, 2012

The Data Says That Privatization is Worse

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

The next time a privateer tells you how awful government is and how wonderful private corporations are, send him a copy of In the Public Interest’s one pager, Five Myths About Privatization.  Complete with footnoted sources, it is a refreshing rejoinder to the non-footnoted narrative that has regrettably come to define the American zeitgeist. For… Continue reading

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Featured Article, ILSR Press Room filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 10, 2012

Post Offices: Too Important To Be Stamped Out

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

Star Tribune, April 9, 2012 In this piece in the Star Tribune David Morris speaks out on the need to stop the tidal wave of post office closings that will occur when the Post Office’s self-imposed moratorium ends in mid May. Last year, 3,600 communities, about 90 in Minnesota, were notified that they’ll probably lose… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 10, 2012

Why Voter Photo ID Is Wrongheaded In One Page

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/voter-photo-id-wrongheaded-page/

This one page flyer from the ACLU cuts to the heart of the issue. For example, “Despite a massive investigation by voter ID proponents, there were only 160 voter eligibility violation cases filed in 2011, and only 140 convictions. All of which were felons voting before they were eligible. 2,700,000 votes were cast in 2010… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 6, 2012

Data Finds Arizona Private Prisons Are Poor Investment. Arizona Responds By No Longer Collecting Data

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/data-finds-arizona-private-prisons-poor-investment-arizona-responds-longer-collecting-data/

Since 1987, Arizona’s Department of Corrections has been legislatively mandated to produce cost and quality reviews for its private prisons, in part to judge how they compare with state-run facilities. The data on costs were collected, but in recent years, it took a lawsuit by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for the Department of… Continue reading