News

Will the US Government Shutdown Lead to the Privatization of State Programs. …“ My main concern is that this showdown rather than shutdown is likely to set the stage for the fading out of major government programs whereby the private sector would take over”, says Chossudovsky. Center for Research on Globalization

IL: Stop, before they privatize: Groups want to save Chicago from another parking meter deal…With so much privatizing taking place, why don’t we know more about these deals? That’s the question posed by a coalition of unions and open-government groups that include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 and the Better Government Association. They are  offering an answer: the Privatization, Transparency and Accountability Ordinance. ChicagoNow (blog)

IL: Aldermen Decry Plan to Privatize Mammogram Program. Patients, politicians and health care workers joined together to protest reported plans to privatize the Chicago Health Department’s free mammogram program. NBC Chicago

MI: Forced into Bankruptcy, the Privatization of Detroit and the Protest  Movement against the Banks. Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit was the scene for the first International People’s Assembly Against Banks and Against Austerity that placed the blame for the city’s financial crisis squarely on the shoulders of the bankers and bosses. Detroit was illegally forced into bankruptcy court by a state-imposed emergency manager Kevyn Orr who is acting as an enforcer of the political will of the leading financial institutions seeking to exploit the majority African American municipality at an even higher level.  Center for Research on Globalization

MI: Kent County developing model to privatize foster care; state may follow plan. Kent County is on its way to being the first entity in the state to completely privatize child welfare services – possibly creating a model for the rest of Michigan – with the hope of improving the lives of children in the foster care system.  The Grand Rapids Press    

CA: When Public and Private Meet, Extra Care Is Needed. Across the nation, private companies are looking to take over public services. A legislative battle in Sacramento over a bill to privatize state trial courts epitomizes the promises and pitfalls of privatization.  San Diego Free Press

ID: Idaho governor open to state-run prison. Idaho Gov. Butch Otter says he’s open to ideas from legislative leaders and others on whether the state should take over a troubled private prison, or whether a new private operator should be sought. “I’m going to listen to other people,” Otter said. “I’m not foreclosing that discussion.” Corrections Corporation of America, the nation’s largest private prison operator, announced last week that it won’t submit a new bid to operate the Idaho Correctional Center south of Boise when its contract ends next summer. Otter is an advocate of privatizing government services, and in 2008 he floated legislation to change Idaho laws to allow private firms to build and operate prisons in Idaho and even import out-of-state criminals to fill them. The idea made lawmakers squirm, and Otter backed off. The Spokesman Review

NY: Binghamton City Council Passes Resolution Urging the County to Maintain Ownership of BC Transit. “Here in the city, we are the urban core.  Our residents utilize public transportation to a larger degree, perhaps more than some of the more outlying communities,” said Binghamton City Council President Teri Rennia.  At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, council members Lea Webbe and Rennia along with County Legislator Jason Garnar and residents raised concerns over the possibility of privatizing the Broome County Public Transit.  FOX 40 News WICZ TV

FL: Miami-Dade Schools may explore outsourcing transportation. The Miami-Dade school district may look to privatize its vast fleet of school buses and transportation employees.   MiamiHerald.com

AL: Privatization of alcohol sales not the answer, attorney says….With privatization “you get less tax revenue and more problems associated with increased drinking,” he said. Privatization is when private companies handle alcohol sales and distribution rather than being in a “control state,” where the state sells and distributes heavier beverages at local Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) stores. Alabama is a “control state.” Alabama Baptist