S&P Says Microsoft More Creditworthy than US Government

Date: 12 Aug 2011 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 1 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Two days after Standard and Poor’s downgraded US government bonds, David Llewellyn-Smith, writing in The Sydney Morning Herald noted, “We now face the ludicrous circumstance in which the United States government holds … a lower (credit) rating than Microsoft, despite issuing its own currency (the world’s reserve), being able to raise taxes when it chooses, owning … Read More

Why is the Most Wasteful Government Agency Not Part of the Deficit Discussion?

In all the talk about the federal deficit, why is the single largest culprit left out of the conversation?  Why is the one part of government that best epitomizes everything conservatives say they hate about government— waste, incompetence, and corruption—all but exempt from conservative criticism? Of course, I’m talking about the Pentagon.  Any serious battle plan … Read More

And the Winner is….The Public Sector

Date: 18 May 2011 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 3 Facebooktwitterredditmail

“Unlike the public sector, the private sector is bred for efficiency. Left to its own devices, it will always find the means to provide services faster, cheaper, and more effectively than will governments,” said James Jay Carafano. I suspect the vast majority of Americans would agree with Mr. Carafano. They probably consider the statement self-evident. The facts, however, lead to the opposite conclusion. When not handicapped by regulations designed to subsidize the private sector, the public sector often provides services faster, cheaper and more effectively.… Read More

All Hail the PUBLIC Library

Date: 29 Apr 2011 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 5 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The free lending public library is a uniquely American invention. Neighborhood based, locally financed, open to all, the public library is a treasure that finds itself too often on the periphery of public policy and attention. Given the remarkable past and present of the public library that should change.… Read More

Might private, not public, be the dirty word?

Consider: Which of these sectors is the one really doing a number on society? At the birth of the American republic, the word “private” had a sinister connotation. Derived from the Latin privare, meaning to reduce or tear apart, it described behavior often contrary to the public interest. In the late 18th century, a pirate was called a privateer. Today “private” has become a positive, even boosterish word, while “public” carries a shady undertone. “Private sector” has become synonymous with efficiency and innovation, while “public sector” connotes bloat and unresponsiveness, even corruption.… Read More

Who gets fruits of public R&D?

Date: 28 Nov 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Who gets fruits of public R&D? by David Morris Originally published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 28, 2004 In 1980, Congress allowed universities to own federally supported research and grant exclusive licenses to businesses to commercialize that research. Since then, the landscape of America’s research universities has changed dramatically. Before 1980, U.S. universities applied for … Read More

O Canada; Oy Vey United States

Date: 12 Apr 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

O Canada; Oy Vey United States by David Morris Originally published in Alternet, April 12, 2004 Four years ago Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post wrote a long essay to end his tour as Canadian correspondent. His gloomy assessment of Canada’s future as a self-governing, independent country contained this remarkable reflection on its past. Over the … Read More

Folly of running government as a business

Date: 3 Mar 2004 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Folly of running government as a business by David Morris Originally published in Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 3, 2004 Conservatives believe government should be run like a private business. They’re wrong. Now Minnesota is paying a stiff price for their mistake. By law, a private corporation must strive to maximize the economic return to a handful … Read More

There’s Something To The State Of Denmark

Date: 8 Aug 2003 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

There’s Something To The State Of Denmark by David Morris Originally published on TomPaine.com, August 8, 2003 “We’re from the government and we’re here to help.” In the United States, such a statement elicits gales of laughter. Even in my home state of Minnesota, a state with a well-deserved liberal reputation, the belief that government is … Read More

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