Papantonio: Privatization Always Leads To Rampant Corruption

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10. According to Wikipedia; that's what it means.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privatization

Privatization, also spelled privatisation, may have several meanings. Primarily, it is the process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency, public service or public property from the public sector (a government) to the private sector, either to a business that operate for a profit or to a non-profit organization. It may also mean government outsourcing of services or functions to private firms, e.g. revenue collection, law enforcement, and prison management.

Although I agree with you that in most cases it's better if the government continues ownership of the facilities. I think having a 'zero tolerance policy' approach is just as bad.

Again, as long as there is oversight preventing corruption and tax policy to create a disincentive to siphoning; privatization isn't the problem. Electric utilities are owned by either government or the private sector and very often the individual user can't tell.

Government ownership can be politicized and very often private firms can innovate in ways that the government can't because of public opinion.

I agree we have too much privatization right now (and some of it needs to be eliminated), but I don't agree that it is always bad. I'd like to see it scaled back, but not eliminated.