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Old 06-25-2012, 10:08 AM
 
16,628 posts, read 29,302,384 times
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NY Times: Sandy Springs Takes the People's Business Private--

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/bu...MWDANBMRUO4yMA



Enjoy!
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Old 06-25-2012, 10:15 AM
 
16,628 posts, read 29,302,384 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aries4118 View Post
NY Times: Sandy Springs Takes the People's Business Private--

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/bu...MWDANBMRUO4yMA



Enjoy!

Residents blast plan for Sandy Springs intersection improvement | Reporter Newspapers
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Old 06-25-2012, 12:00 PM
 
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Wow - I wasn't familiar with the operating details of Sandy Springs local government. What a testament to the effects of hard work and diligence in the stewardship arena. Great job!
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Old 06-25-2012, 12:51 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by belleislerunner View Post
Wow - I wasn't familiar with the operating details of Sandy Springs local government. What a testament to the effects of hard work and diligence in the stewardship arena. Great job!

It's not all a "great job," though, when you read the article fully.
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Old 06-25-2012, 12:54 PM
 
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I read it fully. What part are you referencing or what part troubled you?
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Old 06-25-2012, 01:49 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aries4118 View Post
NY Times: Sandy Springs Takes the People's Business Private--

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/bu...MWDANBMRUO4yMA



Enjoy!

Very interesting article indeed...I had no idea Sandy Springs was operating some of its major services on a contractual basis.
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Old 06-25-2012, 03:06 PM
 
16,628 posts, read 29,302,384 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by belleislerunner View Post
I read it fully. What part are you referencing or what part troubled you?
Mainly the parts about "two Americas," "walling off," etc. And--how privatization has not worked well in a lot of the other communities that have it. It seems to be going OK in Sandy Springs, but the jury is still out on the long-term success. I just don't think we should rush to conclude that it is a viable option/way of doing things just yet.
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Old 06-25-2012, 03:21 PM
JPD
 
12,138 posts, read 18,214,575 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aries4118 View Post
Mainly the parts about "two Americas," "walling off," etc. And--how privatization has not worked well in a lot of the other communities that have it. It seems to be going OK in Sandy Springs, but the jury is still out on the long-term success. I just don't think we should rush to conclude that it is a viable option/way of doing things just yet.
I pretty much agree. Sandy Springs is still a new city. It's easy for things to go well right off the bat. It'll be interesting to see what happens long term.

I don't like the idea of rent-a-judges. Or, more precisely, rent-a-lawyer-pretending-to-be-a-judge.
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Old 06-25-2012, 03:59 PM
 
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I wonder if part of it just stems from a frustration and feeling there's no other alternative about being forced to live with other people's bad choices. I don't live in Sandy Springs - but let's suppose you were a parent who wanted the best upbringing for your children.

Maybe your mindset is that two parent households provide the best opportunity for that. You like the idea of one spouse being at home to help raise the kids/shape their minds. You feel that other situations, well livable, are of an inferior nature. Society may try to tell you that there's nothing wrong with single parents raising kids out of divorce and they are just as likely to succeed. Those school districts (i.e. those without two parents) and active involvement tend to do worse. So you move your family to an area with similar values. Yet others feel you should continue to pay the price of the social ills of your neighbors via their lifestyle choices, therapies, recoveries, etc. I think society tells us that no one lifestyle is better than any other one - and that's fine if you subscribe to that. But then, society seems shocked when certain members of society don't want to foot the expenses/bills that come from the result of said choices. How dare they choose to self ostrasize? Become a wall etc.

I live in the Historic Fourth Ward in Fulton County but can fully appreciate why the residents there act that way. It's as if they've been told to act a certain way long enough, and they finally throw their hands in the air, and say - you can live in your city/county and act however you like - but we won't pay the price and we'll pay the price for our own actions. Isn't that the most mature/adult/responsible approach anyway. Both sides being willing to fully pay the price for their actions.
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Old 06-25-2012, 04:45 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
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My concern with privatization of formerly tax-payer funded services is really more on the practical & political side than on the philosophical side.

People keep confusing privatization with true free-market-style competition. It's not the same.

When a typical local municipality privatizes one type of public service, it's not as if John Q. Public can simply run across the street to a nearby competitor if the services offered by the private contractor is producing undesirable results. More than likely if there weren't any terms written into the contract that gives the citizen greater say over how those privatized public services are conducted, the only real responses are (1) wait until the contract runs out or (2)to buy out the contract. And more than likely if the company's owners are smart and the angry taxpayer pick choice (2), the terms of contract specifying a buyout will be punitively expensive and will tilt in the company's favor.

At least with a public organization someone can be held accountable; a politician can be easily held responsible for the actions of a public agency. But as we Atlantans have born witness to the situation involving ParkAtlanta and the ticket controversy, there is no one that can be held responsible in a straight forward fashion for the inappropriate actions of a private firm. Atlanta's City Council members and the Mayor can say that it is out of their hands, and the private firm(ParkAtlanta) can simply say that it is only conducting its business according to the terms agreed to in the contract. It's lose-lose both ways for John Q. Public.

Personally I think the real anger should be focused at how a community that was formerly public-funded was able to develop only by siphoning a disproportionate share of taxes for such things like sewer and road infrastructure...factors that was possible in a pre-1964 Civil Rights Act America where minority members of society had the least ability to demand to a greater response from their local and state governments, and in most cases today still don't.

Sandy Springs became the economic powerhouse that it is today due only to the reality that it received a huge influx of middle class people during the 70s thru the 80s and that the state politicians in those days practically threw money in its direction, more often than not at the expense of the inner-city suburbs that were essentially abandoned. So now any Private company fortunate enough walk right into a contract to run this city is able to easily do so without bearing all of the huge costs associated with a startup such as infrastructure. Almost any business can be successful in an environment where there is virtually no competition and that someone else(John Q Public) paid for the startup costs.

If someone can point out to me how privatization in this matter is somehow living up the principles of true free-market competition, I'm all ears. But given my past experience in discussing issues like this, I am pretty sure that no one will.


Quote:
Originally Posted by aries4118 View Post
NY Times: Sandy Springs Takes the People's Business Private--

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/bu...MWDANBMRUO4yMA



Enjoy!

Last edited by AcidSnake; 06-25-2012 at 05:32 PM..
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