Back to top Jump to featured resources

Viewing the privatization tag archive

Uspslogo
Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Feb 6, 2013

The End of the Post Office as a Public Institution?

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

“When the post office is closed, the flag comes down.  When the human side of government closes its doors, we’re all in trouble.”   Senator Jennings Randolph (West Virginia) 1958-85 For the post office the end game is on.  This year the post office will close half its processing centers.  By late spring a first… Continue reading

coop-status-for-burlington-telecom-maybe
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Dec 19, 2012

Coop Status for Burlington Telecom? Maybe…..

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/coop-status-burlington-telecom-maybe

Burlington Telecom may be headed for some changes. Due to the mismanagement of the prior Burlington Mayor Administration, the network took on an unsustainable amount of debt and damaged its reputation. Some of the plans to make the network sustainable again involve privatizing it. Unfortunately, as we have seen with public power privatizations, such an… Continue reading

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

Anti-public schools candidates crushed in Wisconsin

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/anti-public-schools-candidates-crushed-wisconsin/

With public schools under attack everywhere, a inspiring victory came out of Wisconsin last week.  The American Federation for Children (AFC), a pro school privatization group funded by billionaires from Michigan and millionaires from several other states, entered a slate of candidates in Democratic primaries for the state Assembly and Senate. The battle was joined… Continue reading

Customer-Service-sign
Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Aug 14, 2012

For Quality Customer Service Go to Government, Not Business

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/quality-customer-service-government-business/

In 2012 we accept as received wisdom that government is unresponsive while a competitive marketplace forces private business to offer quality customer service.  So when Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) introduced his warmly received bill, The Government Customer Service Improvement Act, we considered his announcement a truism, “When taxpayers interact with a government agency, they deserve… Continue reading

school_photo_main
Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 2 Comments | Updated on Aug 5, 2012

Charter Schools and Kudzu

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/charter-schools-kudzu-2/

On this, the 20th anniversary of the opening of the first charter school, kudzu comes to mind. In the 1930s the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) paid farmers $8 per acre to plant this Japanese vine whose deep root structure helps reduce erosion and enrich a depleted soil.  Farmers planted more than 1.2 million acres. Twenty… 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 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

schoolbus
Featured Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Jun 4, 2012

Business Can’t Win the Privatization Game Without a Handicap

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

Handicapping occurs in sports to equalize the winning chances of contestants of varying abilities. Sometimes, as in horse racing, superior horses, based on past performance, are required to carry more weight.  Sometimes, as in golf, poorer players are allowed more strokes. Unbeknownst to most of us, the competition between the public and private sectors is… Continue reading