News
PA: Corbett may hold hearings on privatizing the state lottery
Gov. Tom Corbett says he is considering holding public hearings on his administration’s effort to hire a British firm to manage the state lottery. Pittsburgh Post Gazette
PA: Corbett discloses trips paid by businessman
Tom Corbett has recently disclosed that he took trips in 2011 worth more than $2,300 that were paid for by a Pennsylvania businessman who gave generously to Corbett’s campaign and serves on Corbett’s privatization council. The Herald-Mail
IL: Emanuel moves ahead on Midway privatization, aldermen not so sure
Mayor Rahm Emanuel moved ahead Thursday on testing the privatization market for Midway Airport — with a 40-year lease, profit-sharing for taxpayers and safeguards against consumer price-gouging — but there’s political turbulence ahead. Aldermen are still gun-shy about the steep schedule of rate increases tied to controversial deals that privatized 36,000 city parking meters and the Chicago Skyway. Chicago Sun Times
SC: Anderson County to privatize inmate health
The county which is located along the Georgia border, has decided to turn in the responsibility of its inmates to Southern Health for a yearly payment of $574,860. Reports suggest it will save the county $20,000 in annual savings. Under the arrangement physician visits would be cut in half although the jail would have nurses on duty 24 hours a day. Bizjournals.com
Plain Talk: Privatization is no panacea
When a government official or a bureaucrat does something foolish or wastes valuable resources or unnecessarily spends taxpayers’ money, there are news stories about it. When defense contracts come in way over budget, it makes the news. When a government official holds a meeting at a lavish resort, it hits the press, as it should. With rare exceptions, they can’t hide their mistakes or misdeeds. That’s not usually the case in private business. Although the mistakes are just as rampant, just as wasteful, just as irresponsible, it’s much easier to sweep the problem under the rug without anyone except the insiders knowing about it. There is no free press serving as a watchdog on private business, as is its function with government. Capital Times