News

PA: Rendell tied to consultants on lottery privatization

As Gov. Tom Corbett considers whether to hand the reins of the Pennsylvania Lottery over to a British company, he’s been getting advice from a firm with ties to his predecessor.  Former Gov. Ed Rendell is a senior adviser to Greenhill Partners, which stands to make millions if Corbett signs off on a private management agreement with the North American subsidiary of The Camelot Group, which runs the National Lottery in the United Kingdom.  The Morning Call

IL: Skyway’s sky-high tolls

At $3.50, the Chicago Skyway is among the most expensive tollways in the nation. And that’s going to remain true heading into 2013. On Jan. 1, tolls on the north-south bridge will increase by 50 cents for a grand total of $4…. “I use that way for work to get to Chicago and I’m outraged,” said Northwest Indiana resident Justin Hauser. The Indiana Toll Road and the Skyway are run by the same privately-held consortium based in Madrid, Spain. The Chicago Skyway and the Indiana Toll Road are operated by the same consortiums of Cintra Infraestructuras, S.A. (Cintra), Macquarie Atlas Roads, and Macquarie Infrastructure Partners.   WBEZ

RI:  Privatization of Higher Ed Violates State Constitution

Excessive administrative spending is but one of many results of nationwide privatization of public education.  Particularly distressing in this context is the root cause of this development, namely the decline of the fraction of the URI budget that comes from the Rhode Island general revenue, a percentage that has dropped from 60% in the 1950s to less than 10% currently. Privatization has resulted in an explosive increase in tuition.  RIFuture.org