A gratuitously juvenile title for what will be a minimal post. I haven’t been able to attend to my blogging duties with much diligence lately, but one of the things I know I want to take a look at is the PROBE report. TDW has been good enough to post the entire report here. It is a study intended to assist in improving the efficiency of Indiana government and help cut out the deadwood. Apparently privatization figures prominently.
The big trick with privatization is ensuring transparency and accountability. I think you always have to watch for sleight of hand from folks who don’t think much of our ability to govern ourselves generally. And by this, I’m referring to those folks –often folks in public office, ironically — who constantly bewail the ability of government to do anything right. I think that, among those who think this way, there is an inclination to use privatization as a step along the road to eliminating the service entirely. And, let’s not forget the potential to mine the public infrastructure for private profit. If not for one’s self, for one’s friends and well-wishers. What a deal, right? Gut a public service you didn’t really like in the first place, generate profit for folks you like, and get a reputation for thinking outside the box and being a fiscal conservative. But, maybe I’m just burning down a straw man here. Perhaps such people don’t exist.
In my opinion this statement says it all and hits the nail on the head.
And,let`s not forget the potential to mine the public infrastructure for private profit.If not for one`s self,for ones friends and well-wishers.
Off topic slightly this reminded me of the Glendale fish and wildlife park in my neck of the woods where sportsmen from our area hunt and fish and families go to camp it generates a lot of revenue however not as much as a coal mine the Governor and some of his cronies are trying to make out of part of it.
The public meeting on the subject generated a lot of interest from area residents with the overwhelming majority against the proposal.Black Beauty Coal company did the exploratory drilling a company who`s executives contibuted over $300,000 dollars to Mitch Daniels.
Mitch wants to swap us some reclaimed coal mine land in Sullivan county 60 miles from here for our untouched land.A point made by many at the meeting was since their land or the land of their families was basically taken from them by the state years ago in which their was a lawsuit and a bitter fight to build a fish and wildlife park why should the state now be able to mine this land and make money off of it.Their thoughts are if it was going to be made into a coal mine they could have used that money for themselves.
To be fair this is not a done deal by any means and I`ll be surprised if it happens.Also the DNR stated at the meeting that Black Beauty only did the drilling and that if the land were mined it would have to be let for a bid.Somehow I think Black Beauty would get that bid though!!!
I’ve read about half of the PROBE report–the tone alone is troubling. Still trying to slog through the rest of it. Even if you haven’t read the report yet, Doug, you’ve pretty much nailed it, as Phillip said.
Straw man? Hell, I think you’ve stumbled upon the membership oath for the American Enterprise Institute.