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Once privatized, there is no way back. Our services, land, and treasures, as we know them- are GONE FOREVER.
Private companies do not care about America
You want government jobs, here in America, cut? sound good to me.
Unions don't really give an F about America, at least private companies have to compete for the American dollar, the unions in government just takes it. They closed down Michigan, Detroit, American Steel, Auto Industries and still suck like leeches as government unions on taxpayer dollars. One of the government unions gave 400 million to Obama for his election in 2008 and 95% of the stimulus went to government unions. How does that work again?
The USA used to be mostly all privatized and then the government grew and grew and grew. Nothing wrong with firing half or more of the government employees to save taxpayers money. Nothing wrong with privatization.
If these government employees are worth the money they will make that money in the private world. If they are not marketable they can train in McDonald's.
You are forgetting the Democrats also cooked the books and Walker found a bad situation when he got there.
Regarding the wealthy, I can only suggest you get over it.
They often started out as broke as a joke, took a risk, made a good company and started to make paychecks for folks.
In CA we tax the life out of the wealthy and most all leave along with their companies for better places. We were left with all the illegals, welfare and retirement bills. We are short about 200 billion by the way, not only the 26 Brown talks about.
Unions don't really give an F about America, at least private companies have to compete for the American dollar, the unions in government just takes it. They closed down Michigan, Detroit, American Steel, Auto Industries and still suck like leeches as government unions on taxpayer dollars. One of the government unions gave 400 million to Obama for his election in 2008 and 95% of the stimulus went to government unions. How does that work again?
The USA used to be mostly all privatized and then the government grew and grew and grew. Nothing wrong with firing half or more of the government employees to save taxpayers money. Nothing wrong with privatization.
If these government employees are worth the money they will make that money in the private world. If they are not marketable they can train in McDonald's.
You are forgetting the Democrats also cooked the books and Walker found a bad situation when he got there.
Regarding the wealthy, I can only suggest you get over it.
They often started out as broke as a joke, took a risk, made a good company and started to make paychecks for folks.
In CA we tax the life out of the wealthy and most all leave along with their companies for better places. We were left with all the illegals, welfare and retirement bills. We are short about 200 billion by the way, not only the 26 Brown talks about.
I'm afraid you are too blinded by partisanship and hatred of unions to discuss this rationally. If it helps you, though, to see this only politically, please do notice that this is happening under a Dem Potus and Senate.
They take turns pretending to be opposed to one another. But really they are ALL selling us out LITERALLY- and in this particular period of time the "bad cops" role is being played by Republicans while the Dems wring their hankies and play badly at "good cop". Divide and conquer works every time.
Well, we have a lot more public corporations here in Canada than you do in the USA. Hundreds of "Crown Corporations". Generally, when some conservative government either nationally or provincially comes to power, they would like to sell these public assets to private operators. When they have done this they are almost always a one term government. The reason for this is the public quickly comes to the understanding that these assets were sold to the friends and cronies of the conservatives. Usually prices go up and quality of service goes down.
The last conservative government we had here in Ontario was the first government in our history to sell a highway to the private sector. They sold it for 1.5 billion and now 10 short years later it's worth somewthing like 8 billion. Not only that it's the most expensive toll road in North America. I will not drive on it no matter what. I can drive the entire length of the I90 from the Pa border to Boston and the toll is less than the 50km of the ETR here. It's just very typical of the conservative mind to concieve of such a thing. I would not object to tolls to pay for a road at all but I want the people to end up owning that road. WE have done that here and you know what? After a period of time the road is paid for and the toll is removed.
We have one of the most beautiful park systems in Canada here in Niagara. It's called The Niagara Parks Commission. In it's over 100 years of operation it has never once used one dime of taxpayers money. In fact it makes a profit and reinvests that money in the further inhancement of their properties. Many of the parks are free and the rates at their attractions are very low. It's really one of the crown jewels of Ontario. Well, this same bunch of conservative bandits, when they were in power even had the complete idiocy to suggest the Niagara parks should be sold. Thankfully they were voted out of power before that happened and I fully expect we will not see another Conservative government in Ontario ever again. In eight short years they just about destroyed everything that was exceptional about this province.
Very interesting and instructive. I hope the people of Canada can hold onto their treasures. Do you still have the National Bank? I hope so.
Wisconsin was doing OK financially until Walker gave tax cuts to the wealthiest. Do you want to pay WHATEVER is asked- with no vote and no say in any of it- OR is there some solution other than privatization - of utilities, law enforcement, hospitals, schools, parks, fire depts, etc, etc?
I would rather have a say and put in some budget cuts that can be voted on- AND revisited as things improve. As well, I would pay reasonably higher temporary taxes that have to be voted upon at the end of a prescribed time period in order to continue them. This I would do to protect my vote and ultimately the next generation.
Once privatized, there is no way back. Our services, land, and treasures, as we know them- are GONE FOREVER.
Private companies do not care about America- they care about profits only. When you have a gas leak- who are you going to call- a call center in India? This is serious - perhaps the biggest issue in our lifetime and certainly the biggest decision as to what we leave for future generations.
As to the "huge retirements", you must not have read the above article as concerns Wisconsin's situation. You may end up quite pleased though, because under privatization and the whim of the markets nobody but the extremely wealthy will have cushy retirements.
You want government jobs, here in America, cut? Those workers spend that paycheck here in America. Private companies will downsize and outsource, making services suffer and paychecks (small as they will be) spent in India or anywhere but here. Doesn't sound good to me.
I'm not from Wisconsin and can't comment specifically about that state's fiscal health. But if Wisonsin is anything like most states, including mine--Maine--it was not doing OK. The almost $1 trillion in stimulus spending helped mask the true dimension of most states' fiscal crisis. In other words the stimulus helped states kick the can down the road for another two years. But now that the stimulus money has run out the bills are coming due. They can't be avoided anymore with borrowed money. As Thomas Sowell said in one of his opinion pieces recently it makes no sense to blame the bank for telling you that the check someone gave you has bounced because their is insufficient funds in their account. Walker, like our governor, is just the bearer of bad news. The state is broke and cuts need to be made. Happy talk won't cut it anymore.
I hope many of you will read the entirety of the following article and will perhaps read more from Michael Hudson.
What is happening in Wisconsin is very important for the people of Wisconsin and for every state in the nation. Do not be fooled! This is NOT a partisan issue. This is about an asset grab of enormous proportions. Remember we now have a vote re what is done in the public sector. When all is privatized- WE WILL HAVE NO SAY WHATSOEVER. :
"The Republican governor's budget plan would open the state up to a corporate asset-grab not seen since robber baron capitalism.................
........................But who is one to steal from?
Read the whole article @
"Privatization" has been spinned into a happy buzz word, as appealing as ice cream to many of us, for solving all our problems. But what does it really mean for us and for future generations?
I read it and have some conclusions.
1. It's short on facts and long on speculation, name calling and innuendo.
2. Clearly, the author likes big government.
3. He assumes a lot of things that are just his speculation.
4. He assumes that state owned power facilities is a good thing and that selling them will be done without bids and sweetheart deals will be made with the governor's buddies.
Etc, etc. As I said, lots of speculation and name calling and almost no facts.
The writers also assume events in the past by a corrupt government have to be the pattern of the future. Consider this statement by Hudson and Sommers:
" Most wealth in history has been acquired either by armed conquest of the land, or by political insider dealing, such as the great US railroad land giveaways of the mid 19th century."
I wonder what Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Tiger Woods, Troy Aikman and many others would say about that silly statement.
Because it is more cost effective then the alternative? Also what sort of sucker sells assets at the bottom of a down market? That's the worst thing they can do.
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