December 24, 2013

News

Meet Richard Montoni, America’s Highest Paid “Caseworker”. “The outsourcing of health and human services operations to private for-profit firms raises significant concerns for sick or at-risk populations who depend on them, as well as for taxpayers who all too often foot the bill for substandard service,” said Lisa Graves Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy.  PR Watch

Who’re You Rootin’ for – Team Public or Team Private? Probe a bit deeper, though, and some privatization proponents take their position in support of free-market competition as efficient, while governments are monopolies and inherently inefficient. Few people in the United States hold an equally strong opposite view – that all infrastructure and services should be socialized. However, many people do support public employees and their work as in the public interest. Meanwhile, a third group may not give the issue much thought but may be reflexively pro or con.  Truth-Out

MI: Overstanding Detroit. In a brilliant retelling of the destructive history of the neoliberal era that got us here, Andrew Levine notes that before its wholesale privatization, deregulation, and tax cutting frenzies, “the idea that a major city like Detroit would go bankrupt seemed about as likely as that a meteor would flatten it.”  CounterPunch

IN: Airport authority takes first step to approve privatization deal. The Gary airport authority approved privatization term sheets Monday by a 6-1 vote, but the final approval cannot take place until at least Jan. nwitimes.com