News
OH: Gov Kasich decides against leasing or selling Ohio Turnpike
Gov. John Kasich has dumped a controversial idea of privatizing the Ohio Turnpike as a way to raise money for needed highway and bridge projects. The Republican governor instead unveiled a plan Thursday to generate up to $3 billion by borrowing against future tolls on the 241-mile highway that runs across northern Ohio…. The state might have given up some money by keeping control of the turnpike, Kasich said, but it’s too valuable of an asset to lease. Many elected officials who serve areas along the turnpike, including Summit County Executive Russ Pry, had panned the prospect of privatization. They predicted higher tolls and motorists abandoning the highway to use local roads. Beacon Journal
WV: Opinion: Privitization is not optimal for government
Privatization of government functions is held as the gold standard of efficiency and economy even though there is little evidence to support this pernicious myth. Indeed as the cost of public services becomes more expensive, one can look at the record of advocates ignoring the corporate overhead and profits and the inefficiencies in corporate America when touting privatization as the answer to all government service problems. Martinsburg Journal
CA: OC Officials Angry Over Toll Road Audit
Orange County toll road supporters lashed out at environmentalists Wednesday, accusing them of trying to block expansion of Orange County toll roads by convincing state officials to review the health of the projects’ bonds. VoiceofOC
PA: EDITORIAL: Why the rush to privatize state lotteries?
Privatizing the marketing and management of the lotteries may prove to be a good investment for the states, but there are red flags flapping in the breeze. Lehighvalleylive.com
NH: Discovery center layoffs mark change to privatization
The staff of nine full-time workers and 25 part-timers at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center have been told they will be laid off at the start of the new year, with a chance for some to return once the facility switches from a state-run attraction to one that is privately funded.…Built 23 years ago as a tribute to Christa McAuliffe, the Concord High School teacher killed when the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986, it had received an annual $800,000 payment toward its $1.9 million budget. Concord Monitor
2012 policy report card: Transportation forecast
House Republicans in particular are expected to take another run at privatizing Amtrak, likely as part of the reauthorization – even though they had to pull back from an earlier attempt after a significant backlash. Politico
Eugene Robinson: A cliff and a GOP asleep at wheel
A smart GOP would acknowledge the fact that Americans simply don’t want to privatize everything, which means we need new ideas about how to pay for what we want. San Gabriel Valley Tribune