Protestantism

» pink101 - Fire Protection

In response to Fire Protection posted by pink101:
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My personal career involved more than 25 years doing public relations work for Fire Fighter Unions in Michigan. Believe me, working for unions during the societal transition from JFK, through Regan's anti-worker and anti-union administration into the Clinton years was no cake walk. I can speak to the ideas of privatization quite well. I witnessed the assaults on government programs and individual enterprise first hand.I know what big business is about only too well.
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Be warned here! The privatization process signals the end of the lower classes and the middle classes in America. In the end, this is class warfare. It is what Marx preached. While he may not have been 100% correct, he was on the right track. Capitalism is not the wonderful thing we have been taught to believe it is and socialism is not the evil thing we have been taught to believe it is either. There is a happy medium in there someplace; but, it is going to take a lot of discussion on the part of common people like you.
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There was a phenomenon during the depression days in America known as "parking lot boxing matches". Maybe some of the readers saw the movie in which Clint Eastwood played such a role. In the middle of the night the unemployed gathered in parking lots and placed bets on two fighters that duked it out bare knuckles for the amusement of the onlookers. It was not uncommon for the losers to end up with life threatening injuries and worse. It was a matter of the poor being pitted against the poor.
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Welcome to the twenty-first century where you will see the end of the middle class being supported by people who think conservatism is good for society. Don't ever kid yourself that privatization is good for society.
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-- posted by pink101

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» Brian Tubbs - Privatization

In response to Fire Protection posted by pink101:

I'm not in favor of privatizing police and fire services. But I am in favor of privatization in general. The smaller the government, the better. Boy, I'm sounding more and more like Ron Paul.

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» pink101 - Privatization

In response to Privatization posted by BrianTubbs:
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It would be interesting to read how others view privatization in government.
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If it is good for public utilities to be privatized, why wouldn't it also be good to privatize public safety.
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The first major take back of fire protection services took place in Scottsdale, Arizona. When you see a lime-yellow fire truck, you can know the idea came out of Scottsdale where firefighting is carried out as a profitable operation. Workers do industrial labor on regular shifts while they are waiting to respond to fire alarms.
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http://www.fee.org/publications/the-free...

-- posted by pink101

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» Migisi - Privatization

In response to Privatization posted by pink101:
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It would be interesting to read how others view privatization in government.
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My rural town, township, and county already rely on private companies for just about all services... ambulance, trash hauling, street repairs, snow plowing, mosquito abatement, storm sewer installation, legal counsel, etc.
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As I remarked in another thread, government is noted for nepotism and political patronage in its selection process. Competitors usually submit secret bids. But jobs don't necessarily go to the lowest bidder or the best candidate. Too often, the mayor's son, or the county commish's best friend, (for examples) will get the jobs regardless of quality or the bid.
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If ordinances ~require~ that jobs go to the lowest bidder, this can also lead to 'fly-by-night' companies being hired, and result in mediocre services, shoddy materials, and poor workmanship. The govenment entity winds up hiring another company to redo the work, thus costing way more than it should have. The city is often unable to recover money paid to the first company because it's gone bankrupt or simply disappeared. This happened on a storm sewer/street repair project in my town. It cost the taxpayers a bundle to fix it right.
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When I think of privatization at the federal level, I think of the billions of dollars Haliburton charged and stole for the (ehem) 'reconstruction' of Iraq, and Blackwater's hired guns raping and murdering Iraqi civilians.

-- posted by Migisi

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» Brian Tubbs - Government v. Private Sector

A government big enough to provide for all the services a population needs is a government big enough to become a dictatorship.

Our liberties are safest when government is smallest.

You see, Wendell?! I do agree with a lot of what Ron Paul has to say!

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» pink101 - Government v. Private Sector

In response to Government v. Private Sector posted by BrianTubbs:
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Our liberties are safest when government is smallest.
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That's a challenging statement and quite popular today.
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Our liberties are safest when government is smallest.
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Sounds like a story to me. How does that get to be the case? Is size the factor that causes the effect? I think you have to come up with some proof if we're to buy into that; because, it is the first statement to a logical conclusion. I'm not saying it isn't a fact; but, I am wanting to see some proof.
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Governmental mischief can come about in small local governments just as easily as it can come about in some great federal government. So, I'm questioning your statement. I want to see some evidence that tells me that social medicine is not good. And, narrative comments aren't going to work. I would like to see the stats. It's obvious to me that a free dental plan that includes children in public schools would do wonders for America's health. What am I missing here? Why does egoism have such a say in our world? It's as though Ayn Rand is pulling on someone's chain. Since when did egoism get to pass for a family value? It's about as anti-Christ as anything I know about.
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-- posted by pink101

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» Brian Tubbs - Government v. Private Sector

In response to Government v. Private Sector posted by pink101:

I assure you that I'm no Ayn Rand libertarian. And I'm not a Ron Paul libertarian. In fact, were I even REMOTELY in the libertarian camp, Mike Huckabee would be the last candidate I'd support. More later.

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» pink101 - Ayn Rand & Egoism

In response to Government v. Private Sector posted by BrianTubbs:
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Ayn Rand's writings have more to do with the ideas presented by Ron Paul and all the rest of the "Let's cut government to the bone" ideologies we see today than any other ideologies. Egoism is a main thrusting force in unbridled capitalism. Marx is starting to make sense.
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-- posted by pink101

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» Brian Tubbs - Ayn Rand & Egoism

In response to Ayn Rand & Egoism posted by pink101:

Seems like you like extremes, Pink. I'm neither a fan of Ayn Rand and Ron Paul or Karl Marx. I'm not a libertarian, and I'm not a socialist. Balance. Moderation. Those are my buzz words.

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» pink101 - Ayn Rand & Egoism

In response to Ayn Rand & Egoism posted by BrianTubbs:

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All I have said here is that Egoism is influencing the selfishness we are seeing exhibited in our political sphere.
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So, how about my questions regarding the size of government? Will you answer them?

-- posted by pink101

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