03-12-2017, 11:17 AM
Here is the problem.
Every private business in a capitalist society is controlled by profit motive. This tends to make the business run more effciently, but it also moves away from "public service". How do you keep the benfit of privatization while still being designed to setve a publiuc purpose instead of make profit.
Here in Tennessee the State provides free legal services to any persontrying to collect child support. Back in the late 90's the state decided that these Child Support Offices were noit very effective so they contracted them out to private firms who could get paid a percentage of collections. I actually worked for a while for a private firm who had contracted with the state to do this. In that situation it worked alright because there was no real conflict between collecting as much as possible and serving the public. It did not work out well in small rural areas where there was not enough to collect to justify a private company being involved. But it must have worked out well in the larger cities becaue they are still doing it. So the key in some of these efforts to "privatize" may be to make sure there are still government offices to pick up the slack in places where a private company may not be able to make any profit.
BTW this has been going on for a long time. Most people do not realize that NASA is a private company instead of a government agency.
And the State of Tennessee is currently having a HUGE debate over Governor Haslam's plan to privative many state positions in education and elsewhere.
Every private business in a capitalist society is controlled by profit motive. This tends to make the business run more effciently, but it also moves away from "public service". How do you keep the benfit of privatization while still being designed to setve a publiuc purpose instead of make profit.
Here in Tennessee the State provides free legal services to any persontrying to collect child support. Back in the late 90's the state decided that these Child Support Offices were noit very effective so they contracted them out to private firms who could get paid a percentage of collections. I actually worked for a while for a private firm who had contracted with the state to do this. In that situation it worked alright because there was no real conflict between collecting as much as possible and serving the public. It did not work out well in small rural areas where there was not enough to collect to justify a private company being involved. But it must have worked out well in the larger cities becaue they are still doing it. So the key in some of these efforts to "privatize" may be to make sure there are still government offices to pick up the slack in places where a private company may not be able to make any profit.
BTW this has been going on for a long time. Most people do not realize that NASA is a private company instead of a government agency.
And the State of Tennessee is currently having a HUGE debate over Governor Haslam's plan to privative many state positions in education and elsewhere.
