Privatization

Selling off Government

The state legislature passed a bill allowing private companies to build roads and charge tolls for them.  Privatization.

This sets an amazing precedence.  In the past we watched many government services, like sanitation, be outsourced to private companies who can complete government task more efficiently, but there are certain fundamental services that we expect from our government and these tasks are starting to erode.

Some of the basic functions of the government are military (or police), safety (fire and rescue), and infrastructure (roads).

If roads are now to be privatized, what is next?  Fire and rescue?  Life Guards?

I am not saying that all privatization of government services are bad.  Sometimes they make sense. The corporate world tends to be more efficient than government.  There are many examples of parts of our city that have been privatized and have yielded a savings to residents; i.e. parking and sanitation.  We just need to be vigilant when privatization does occur.

It seems, as the government has grown faster than tax revenue, that we are going to see more tolls, or fees for services, pop up everywhere.  It is going to get more expensive to live.