Protestantism

» 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