American Civil Service - time for the comeback

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

The greatest lie of our time is that the functions of government should be privatized and outsourced with no accountability to the American public. Privatization does not cost us less as citizens, it costs us more. The motive becomes PROFIT and not service. Taxpayers pay more for less as there is no motivation to keep down costs as they will all be passed along with little or no discussion from our bought and paid for Congress.

I would prefer to have American citizens employed as border guards, IRS collection agents, Port Security, and whatever other governmental vocational field you would like to mention. I think it would be great if they earned a decent wage with merit and seniority increases, and had good retirement and health care coverage. At least someone, even if it is ourselves, will be employing Americans.

I do not accept the basic conservative argument that small government is automatically better, if the services that are spun off become public teats for private business that siphon zillions of dollars into private coffers with little or no accountability. Since our private employers have all chosen to offshore and line their own pockets, the government could be the employer of last resort to keep the American middle class from swirling around the drain.

[Canuckistanian]

1. Has there been ANY privatization that actually saved money?

Seriously, has there been an outsourcing that actually worked as advertised?

Utilities have been a disaster and even private security forces are replacing the military in some low-level jobs.

The profits that the private companies demand (and get) end up costing the taxpayer the same or more.

Cui bono?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. I seriously doubt it. It's the great canard.

The money does go someplace - but it pretty much lines the pockets of those at the top of the corporations hired, or the lobbyists that they hired to get the contracts. The American public is the golden goose that has been plucked until it can hardly be plucked anymore.

[Warpy]

3. Privatization = "stick 'em up, sucker"

Sucking profit out of any system degrades service, as the motive becomes cutting costs to maximize profit, and that means cutting service jobs and forcing the remaining people to provide as much staffing as a full staff once did. We can see how well that's working for us by looking at for profit healthcare.

This is nuts. Private industry does a great job at providing goods, but they fall flat on providing services, especially necessary services. They always try to do it on the cheap, hiring as few service people as possible, and they always end up with systems where the customer is basically on his own.

[EC]

4. And well paid Union workers in those jobs

having someone at the borders that is paid so cheaply that bribery would be rampant wouldn't be good...and having private police that only rich neighborhoods could afford and on and on...Also, wouldn't some of these private industries have to create business? By making sure policys of the government increases crime and offenses? Some of **'s buddies are into private prisons and armies...

[Nikki Stone 1]

5. Agreed!

:kick: