News

IN: Lake County commissioners vote to pursue toll road lease. Lake county commissioners voted unanimously Monday to pursue a bid for lease rights to the Indiana Toll Road in a joint venture with LaPorte County. A positive vote is still needed by the Lake County Council to join the bid pursuit. That vote is scheduled for Tuesday. It’s all part of a quest for local government to claim the revenue rights to the state-owned toll road, which was leased to a private Australian-Spanish consortium in 2007, Commissioner Gerry Scheub said Monday. nwitimes.com

AR: Walmart lobbyists push bill privatizing Arkansas’ public schools. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) will back legislation from lobbyists connected to Walmart that would open the door for private contractors to take over management of local school districts, the Arkansas Times reported. The bill, HB 1733, was introduced by state Rep. Bruce Cozart (R), and was written by Walton Family Foundation lobbyists. Cozart is also chair of the state House Education Committee. The bill was sent to the committee for review on Friday, and needs 11 votes to advance to a vote on the floor. According to the Times, the bill would establish an “achievement school district” that could include any school district found to be under “academic distress.” Raw Story

MA: Massachusetts Teachers Association calls charter school threat of lawsuit ‘appalling and deceptive’. . . “Any claim that the charter school cap is the basis of Massachusetts children being denied their civil rights is appalling and deceptive,” MTA President Barbara Madeloni said in a statement Sunday. “The real threat to our students — and to our democracy — is the two-tiered school system funded by public dollars that charter proponents will go to any lengths to expand.” Madeloni went on to say, the lawsuit “will represent just one more step in the effort to dismantle public education, put public resources into private hands, and undermine the schools in our poorest communities.” Current limits allow for up to 18 percent of the state’s lowest-performing school districts to be spent on charter school tuition. MassLive.com

KY: Outlook bad for public-private partnership bill. The bill allowing the state to contract with private companies to finance major road and bridge projects appears it may be stalled for the duration of the 2015 legislative session. . . . One key opponent to the bill is Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, who said Monday, “I would say that bill is in jeopardy.” Thayer said he and other legislators from Northern Kentucky are concerned that the bill could lead to the use of tolls as a way to finance the $2.6 billion plan to build a new Brent Spence Bridge linking Covington and Cincinnati. The Courier-Journal

PA: Sustainable community schools: An alternative to privatization. . . . The reality of understaffed, poorly resourced public schools destabilized by punitive and largely ineffective school transformation policies has driven many families to seek refuge in charters, few of which perform better than the schools they left. The charter lobby ignores the fact that charter school expansion, given the present charter school law and the absence of additional funding in the form of a charter school reimbursement line in the state budget, can only come at the expense of children in traditional public schools. Philadelphia Public School Notebook

News

Don’t Privatize The Postal Service. Build On. . .Instead of shrinking the Postal Service, we should build on it. That means, first of all, appreciating that the USPS can be much more than a delivery service. In many small towns, the local post office continues to be a community hub, a place to meet neighbors and get news. And postal carriers don’t just deliver letters — they often keep an eye on the elderly and homebound, and alert first responders if things look amiss. They could do even more. The Postal Service’s fleet of vehicles — the largest in the country — could be equipped to detect air pollutants and report potholes, water leaks, and other infrastructure repair needs. Why stop there? The USPS could raise tens of billions of dollars each year by reinstating post office savings accounts and banking services, which it efficiently provided for 55 years in the first half of the 20th century. Customers received 2-percent interest on their savings accounts, and the post office loaned their money to community banks, which then made loans to local businesses. This virtuous circle benefitted the entire community. At its peak, 4 million Americans took advantage of these services, saving $36 billion in 2014 dollars. FlaglerLive.com

Charter School in Miami Fails, but Proves Useful on Jeb Bush’s Résumé. . . Now trash and fronds from the palm trees that students planted litter the grounds, and cafeteria tables are folded away in a dark doorway. Jeb Bush’s charter school is a ruin baking in the Miami sun. Co-founded in 1996 by Mr. Bush with what he called in an email a “powerful sense of pride and joy,” Liberty City Charter School was the first school of its kind in Florida and a pioneer in a booming industry and national movement. It became an image-softening vehicle for Mr. Bush’s political comeback, though the school’s road was anything but smooth. New York Times

Private Email Use a Source of Friction in Many Statehouses. Governors and other elected officials routinely use private emails, laptops and cellphones for government business, a popular strategy that sometimes helps them avoid public scrutiny of their actions. Open-records fights over private emails have had varying results. New York Times

MO: Ferguson Mayor bragged about privatized law enforcement services months before Brown shooting. . . In early 2014, just a few months before the city of Ferguson exploded in street protests after the shooting of Michael Brown, Mayor Knowles, gave an interview to Missouri’s leading libertarian think-tank, the Show-Me Institute. In that interview, embedded below, Mayor Knowles explained the many wonderful benefits of privatization. When asked if there was anything he would not consider privatizing in Ferguson, Mayor Knowles answered: “Really there isn’t much that we haven’t explored that we didn’t see was a good idea.” And while Knowles did tell the Show-Me Institute interviewer that he wasn’t in favor of privatizing the police force itself, he explained that he was actively working to privatize law enforcement services. PandoDaily

IN: Consultants try to calm nerves over Toll Road bid. Some Lake County officials have questioned the financial wisdom of getting into the toll road business. Consultants and lawyers trying to sell Wall Street investors on paying for a Lake and LaPorte County takeover of the bankrupt Indiana Toll Road lease agreement this spring tried Thursday to assure skeptical members of the Lake County Council prior to crucial votes set for Monday to undertake the project. “What is the worst-case scenario?” Councilman Dan Dernulc, R-Highland asked. Councilman Eldon Strong, R-Crown Point, pondered, “If this so lucrative, why did the state take a pass on it?” nwitimes.com

FL: Disability Groups Fear Proposal Could Privatize Vocational Rehab…. There’s a plan to bring some changes to vocational rehab. But few lawmakers know about it….. Some disability advocates say they’ve been blindsided by the proposal. Its Senate sponsor is former Senate President Don Gaetz, its House sponsor is Representative and Republican Party of Florida Chairman Blaise Ingoglia. John Pribanic with the Florida Rehabilitation Council, views the proposal as well-intentioned, but problematic. “Unfortunately, I think a repeal of VR is absolutely an extreme, an extreme measure.” The bill creates a sunset date for vocational rehab and requires the agency create a pilot partnership program with local organizations. But the big fear is that the language is a forerunner to privatization. But Gaetz says contrary to those rumors, the program is not being privatized, nor is it being cut. Health News Florida

IL: Still waiting for Gov. Rauner to kill the Illiana – editorial. . . The highway, which would connect Interstate 55 in Will County to I-65 in Lake County, Ind., was envisioned as an alternative to congested I-80. But few truckers will be willing to detour 10 miles out of their way and pay tolls that could run up to $50. Under the public-private arrangement brokered by IDOT, the state would have to make up the difference if — make that when — toll revenues come up short. A thumbs down from CMAP’s staff should have ended the discussion. But the agency’s board was overruled by a state policy committee chaired by former IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider, who was appointed by then-Gov. Pat Quinn. Chicago Tribune

CA: Library supporters concerned about privatization talk. . . “It has come to my attention that there is a forthcoming proposal to place the Kern County library system under private nonprofit management,” Ann Wiederrecht wrote in an email to supervisors. “Such an idea is outrageous. The Kern County Library is truly a public service open to people of all ages and backgrounds.” “In order for a for-profit group to make a profit, it will be necessary to cut services even more than they have been and/or in some way start charging for services,” wrote Bakersfield College luminary Jerry Ludeke in another email. “Free public libraries are an American treasure and a ‘hand-up’ for many in the culture.” The Bakersfield Californian

CA: How Los Angeles Created Skid Row. . . In the late ‘60s, the amount of low-cost rental housing in the area was halved right before the oil crisis in 1971. In the late ‘80s, the explosion of crack cocaine hit just in time for the recession of the early ‘90s and the privatization of state mental hospitals, which was overseen by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. The burst of the housing bubble of the mid-2000s happened to coincide with a hideous practice among several private hospitals found depositing impoverished, mentally ill patients on the doorstep of the Union Rescue Mission in 2005. One especially determined hospital spent five years bussing nearly 500 patients to Skid Row from Las Vegas. Daily Beast

NJ: N.J. group wants state to reduce number of inmates in prison. . . “This is a cutting edge issue,” said Bob Witanek, co-founder of Decarcerate the Garden State, a group that began a year ago in Newark, and has recently been traveling the state with the aim of educating people about what it calls the “mass incarceration” of residents in New Jersey and the U.S. . . . “We now have the privatization of prisons, and just like any other private enterprise, it puts profit ahead of caring for people,” she said. “Their main goal is to increase profit and save money, so they have an incentive to support laws like mandatory-minimum sentences and life without parole.” Decarcerate the Garden State is currently petitioning the state Senate and Assembly to pass a law reducing the number of inmates in New Jersey’s prisons. However, they have yet to find a state legislator to sponsor such a bill. NJ.com

MA: Civil rights fight looms on charter schools cap. . . Paul F. Ware Jr., Michael B. Keating, and William F. Lee, who are partners at three top law firms, say the lawsuit they will file to overturn the state cap on the number of charter schools will break ground on two fronts. It will be the first constitutional challenge to a charter school cap in any state and the product of an unusual alliance among lawyers from rival firms — “a unique occurrence in Boston legal history,” according to Lee. Their decision to challenge the cap in court reflects growing frustration among charter school advocates who have seen recent efforts to expand the number of these schools in Massachusetts defeated by state lawmakers. Boston Globe

MA: Privatized skating rinks freezing out the public. . . Across the region, privately managed state-owned skating rinks such as Ulin Rink offer significantly less public ice time than their state-run counterparts — whether for free or a for a fee — and less than the minimum of 16 hours a week required by state rules. . . . The changes are the downside of privatization at the DCR, a cash-strapped state agency that, for more than two decades, has been turning over management of skating rinks and other recreational facilities to private companies, local governments, and nonprofits. New managers often bring private investment to maintain the facilities but sometimes at a hidden cost to the public. “It stinks when they take away hours because [then] there is nothing for the kids to do,” said Sarah Lacombe, a Milton resident who skated at the rink as a child and now brings her two children. Boston Globe

CT: Contracting Watchdog Concedes It Has Limited Oversight Of UConn. . . The contracting board was created in 2007 as one of the reforms enacted in response to the scandals that drove Gov. John G. Rowland from office. The law allows anyone who bids on a state contract to contest its award by complaining to the board, which determines whether an investigation is warranted. The law also requires state agencies to go through a rigorous process before privatizing services provided by state employees. UConn says the contracting board has oversight over the university only when it seeks to outsource work done by state employees. The debate over the board’s authority was prompted by a complaint about how the winner of a multi-million-dollar contract for janitorial work was selected. The complaint alleged that university administrators improperly reversed a selection committee’s initial decision to give the new contract to GCA Services Group, which had the existing contract. Hartford Courant

OH: Ohio online charter school spent more than $2.27M on ads. Ohio’s largest online charter school reported at least $2.27 million spent last school year on advertising to attract students. That’s about 2 percent of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow’s revenue for the school year, which was $112.7 million. About 90 percent of that revenue was funded by the state. The charter school’s advertising spending included radio and television time, Facebook and Google ads and mailing lists. The $2.27 million spent on ads only accounts for some of the school’s advertising, the newspaper reports. Other ads are paid for by the school’s for-profit management company, the records for which aren’t public. State Rep. Teresa Fedor, who has called for an overhaul of state charter-school laws, called the school’s advertising spending “shockingly high,” adding that there’s no good reason to spend those kinds of tax dollars on ads. Toledo Blade

HI: Maui Memorial, losing $43M a year, could be privatized. . . A proposal before state lawmakers would allow a private operator such as Hawaii Pacific Health, the parent company of Straub and three other Hawaii hospitals, to take over Maui. But the proposal is opposed by Randy Perreira, the executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association…. Under the proposal, current hospital employees would be guaranteed employment for just six months but would have to re-apply for their jobs. The former state workers would probably see their private sector salaries increase — but their vacation, sick day and retirement benefits would decrease. Private health care workers generally lack pensions and lifetime medical benefits that state workers receive. Private health care employees also have significantly less vacation and sick time, since state workers receive 21 days a year in each category. State officials estimate Maui Memorial would save $26 million a year in fringe benefits under the deal. “And under those circumstances, they can operate on a less costly model,” Rosen said. Hawaii News Now

IA: Is Medicaid privatization about money or health? Iowa Medicaid leaders stress that the main reason they’re shifting the $4 billion program to private management is because they hope doing so will improve participants’ health. But some people fear the real point is to save serious money by limiting services. At a public hearing in Des Moines Friday, Department of Human Services Director Charles Palmer called the shift “a major venture” and “a journey.” The department plans to turn over most of the state’s Medicaid program to two to four managed care companies, starting next January. Des Moines Register

Countries Backtrack on Privatizing Retirement. Poland is among 11 countries that have recently rolled back or abandoned efforts to privatize their retirement systems. . . The privatization, strongly encouraged by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, reflected what was seen as an urgent need to backstop traditional government retirement systems in which benefits are paid by contributions from people still working. These so-called pay-as-you-go schemes face funding shortfalls in many countries, including the U.S. But the problem is especially acute in countries such as Poland where birthrates have declined or many young people work abroad. Privatization was supposed to “provide greater financial stability and make pensions less prone to political interference,” says Stephen Kay, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. So far, it appears to have achieved neither goal. Bloomberg

News

Where Have All The Teachers Gone?. . . Why have the numbers fallen so far, so fast? McDiarmid points to the strengthening U.S. economy and the erosion of teaching’s image as a stable career. There’s a growing sense, he says, that K-12 teachers simply have less control over their professional lives in an increasingly bitter, politicized environment. The list of potential headaches for new teachers is long, starting with the ongoing, ideological fisticuffs over the Common Core State Standards, high-stakes testing and efforts to link test results to teacher evaluations. Throw in the erosion of tenure protections and a variety of recession-induced budget cuts, and you’ve got the makings of a crisis. The job also has a PR problem, McDiarmid says, with teachers too often turned into scapegoats by politicians, policymakers, foundations and the media. “It tears me up sometimes to see the way in which people talk about teachers because they are giving blood, sweat and tears for their students every day in this country. There is a sense now that, ‘If I went into this job and it doesn’t pay a lot and it’s a lot of hard work, it may be that I’d lose it.’ And students are hearing this. And it deters them from entering the profession. NPR

CCA & The case against privatization of our public marine resources. . . This is the last opportunity to make the case against privatization of our public marine resources, this time to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Amendment 40 proposes to take almost half of the recreational quota of red snapper and reserve it solely for the charter/for-hire industry for its own use. It is the first step to enacting a catch share program for charter/for-hire operators, modeled on the ownership program for the commercial red snapper sector in which less than 400 individuals own 51 percent of the entire fishery. The Eagle

The Demolition of Workers’ Comp. . . Until recently, America’s workers could rely on a compact struck at the dawn of the Industrial Age: They would give up their right to sue. In exchange, if they were injured on the job, their employers would pay their medical bills and enough of their wages to help them get by while they recovered. No longer. Over the past decade, state after state has been dismantling America’s workers’ comp system with disastrous consequences for many of the hundreds of thousands of people who suffer serious injuries at work each year, a ProPublica and NPR investigation has found. The cutbacks have been so drastic in some places that they virtually guarantee injured workers will plummet into poverty. ProPublica

NY: Affordable Housing Needs a Reset. . . The mayor’s plan tracks the pattern New York City has religiously followed for quite some time of trying to “incentivize” private development. The city effectively pays a fortune to private developers to build this kind of stuff. Here is a frightening statistic from the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development: in 2013, New York City gave private developers a pass on $1.2 billion in taxes in order to stimulate the building of 153,000 units of housing ― just 12,000 of which met the messed-up definition of affordability. Hard to believe we couldn’t have done a lot better by simply collecting those taxes. . .We desperately need to press a reset button on all of this. Far from doing that, the mayor’s plan just doubles-down on the same game of “leveraging of private capital with public dollars” to create the appearance of a huge initiative. There may have been a time in the 1970s when it made sense to respond to urban decay by offering substantially unconditional subsidies and tax abatements to stimulate economic activity. But in an environment of virtually unchecked gentrification and social stratification, such tools and their underlying philosophy are totally misplaced. They don’t ameliorate the problem, they fuel it.   Huffington Post

FL: Opinion: Privatizing prisons prioritizes profits over humans. . . I voted for Rick Scott, not that I liked him, but because I was actually voting against the other guy. In many aspects, I think the governor has done a decent job. But not when it comes to private prisons. If anyone chooses to investigate, a journey through Google offers eye-opening horrors on what has gone on inside American private prisons. Warehousing human beings cannot be treated as a low-value commodity. Slavery ended 150 years ago. Yes, many inmates are criminals who committed dastardly deeds. But not all are murderers and robbers. Thousands are in for nonviolent offenses, particularly drug possession. When inmates are treated inhumane and invisible, without a voice, we citizens will reap the results when they are back among us. After giving it a trial, Canada discontinued private prisons. So did Israel. So should we. Florida Today

TX: Texas: Judge Rejects Traffic Camera Company Attempt To Block Public Vote. A Tarrant County, Texas judge on Tuesday did not buy the argument of a red light camera company that the public had no right to vote on whether cameras should be used in their community. American Traffic Solutions (ATS) filed for an emergency injunction last week in an attempt to keep the residents of Arlington from casting a ballot in the upcoming May election on the subject of automated ticketing. The Arizona-based firm found someone local who claimed he would suffer injury if fellow residents were allowed to vote. TheNewspaper.com

CO: Boulder Drivers Should Be Raising Cain Over US 36 Proposed Tolls. . .US 36 is one of the only decent ways to travel from Boulder to Denver. And seemingly knowing that drivers have little to no choice in the matter, the private company who will run and maintain the road is taking full advantage of the situation. If drivers do not have a pre-purchased pass and have the temerity to want to use the express toll lanes during peak hours, they will likely pay nearly $14. If you are in the same position on I-25, you will pay $7. That’s right, getting out of Boulder is twice as valuable than getting through Denver. . . I’m surprised that Boulderites are not up in arms over the obvious way they are being abused by this system. I understand that a private firm can do essentially what they want and if people will pay it, why not charge as much as possible. But beyond the basic economic lesson here, we also need to examine how a major city in Colorado is being treated by civic planning policies in the metro area. CBS Local

NJ: City of Bridgeton to create water study committee to examine privatization. . . With basically everything from cuts and changes in certain services to tax increases being considered, Kelly is asking the water study committee to examine privatization of the city’s water utility to see if it would be something that could deliver the service with less strain on the city’s budget and at a reasonable cost to residents, the news release said. Kelly also said that because much of city’s water and sewer infrastructure is more than 100 years old, maintaining and upgrading the system is difficult and expensive. NJ.com

NJ: Letter: Liberty State Park still not free from threat of privatization. . . There has always been a broad public consensus against the privatization of this sacred American public resource, the free and green park behind Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. I am concerned that the commission would be used by the governor to privatize and commercialize the park without the traditional public hearings and public comment periods provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. NJ.com

IN: Counties Finalizing Indiana Toll Road Bid. Two northwest Indiana counties are finalizing their tax-exempt bond-financed bid for the bankrupt Indiana Toll Road. Bids are due on March 15. Bond Buyer

News

The Tragedy of Privatizing the Commons. . . Absentee owners rarely have the same sense of stewardship and restraint as local owners. A group of local owner-operators (say, fishermen) have a strong incentive to stick it out through a difficult negotiation to agree on self-imposed restrictions that preserve their fishery. After all, they have most of their life savings tied up in their trade, they don’t have skills that they can readily apply to other businesses, and they may want their children to be able to follow in their footsteps. They’re in it for the long term. From an economists’ standpoint, the investment horizon for local owner-operators is measured in decades or more. But a corporate owner that seeks only a financial return will have a much shorter time horizon when making decisions. It may simply not be worth it to preserve the future productivity of a natural resources if that means forgoing a much greater profit today. All of this says that privatizing the commons may not work in a lot of cases. The incentive to chase a quick buck may outweigh the financial and social rewards of long-term stewardship. Ownership is not necessarily stewardship. U.S. News & World Report

The Perils of Privatization. . . Blackwater went into the annals of government contracting as one of the great disgraces of privatization. A staff report prepared for the Oversight Committee found that Blackwater billed the government $1,222 per day per guard, “equivalent to $445,000 per year; over six times more than the cost of an equivalent U.S. soldier.”. . . As Blackwater showed, many of the efficiencies are spurious, because contractors cut corners. The notion of market discipline can be short-circuited by political influence that steers contracts to favored companies despite their poor performance. Often, apparent savings are bogus because of costs that are passed along to the government. In some cases, privatizing something as necessarily public as national defense is convenient because the contractor, not the government, takes the fall when something goes wrong. This is precisely the opposite of accountability. The American Prospect

My libertarian vacation nightmare: How Ayn Rand, Ron Paul & their groupies were all debunked. . .In America, libertarian ideas are attractive to mostly young, white men with high ideals and no life experience that live off of the previous generation’s investments and sacrifice. I know this because as a young, white idiot, I subscribed to this system of discredited ideas: Selfishness is good, government is bad. Take what you want, when you want and however you can. Poor people deserve what they get, and the smartest, hardworking people always win. So get yours before someone else does. I read the books by Charles Murray and have an autographed copy of Ron Paul’s “The Revolution.” The thread that links all the disparate books and ideas is that they fail in practice. Eliminate all taxes, privatize everything, load a country up with guns and oppose all public expenditures, you end up with Honduras. Salon

FL: Florida’s Privatized Prison System Is Chronically Underfunded. . . Prisons weren’t discussed as a priority for either Scott or legislativeleaders on the campaign trail, but budget records reviewed by the Herald/Times show the private prison industry was given special attention. Over the past four years, lawmakers and the governor increased spending on prison vendors by creating new programs and steering millions to them in state contracts, even as the public prisons crumbled and became more dangerous for inmates and staff. Governing

PA: Does privatization work? Ask Harrisburg. . . . [A]s part of the city’s deal to get out from under its incinerator debt, the city parking authority’s “assets” were leased in a complex transaction. . . . First, parking rates doubled. Well, OK, they needed to as part of the deal to bail out the city; the private partner was only going to be interested if it was worth their while. But beyond that, according to PennLive reports, the new system has been one snafu after another: Its zero-tolerance enforcement is so zealous, its agents sometimes try to ticket drivers as they are walking to the payment kiosk. Technical glitches and operator errors have led to mass ticketing of drivers who have properly paid. Making sure a ticket is paid on time to avoid a penalty (the grace period is all of four days) involves either paying on line, which carries an extra credit card surcharge, or a trip downtown to pay in person. . . . Private enterprise doesn’t exist to serve you, it exists to make money. If it can make money by serving you well – it’ll do that. If it can make more money by serving you poorly – why wouldn’t it do that? That’s the difference between a system owned by the public, which has an express duty to the public, and a private operator whose chief duty, always, is to the private operator.. LancasterOnline

PA: Liquor privatization faces uncertain future in Pennsylvania. . . Just like the previous time the House voted for privatization, the proposal faces an uncertain future in the state Senate. Lawmakers there are interested in improving consumer convenience and selection, but aren’t as adamant about privatization as the House. Watchdog.org

IN: Rutter: Toll Road fever grips gullible investors. . . The chance that no one listens also does not dissuade you from shouting at government officials in Lake and LaPorte counties. Do not borrow $4 billion to take the white elephant Indiana Toll Road off the hands of international investors and operate the 157-mile road the state of Indiana still owns. If the two counties actually do possess the creditworthiness to borrow billions, is the Toll Road what anyone would want to rent for 67 years? Yep, say the involved public officials who insist the auction is too good to pass up. They might even get a sweet deal because it’s an auction. All that is required is entering a seven-figure deal with the bankruptcy court to bail out an international money operator whose dealings have been called “like wrestling in the dark with a ghost.” What possibly could go wrong? Chicago Tribune

WI: Kathleen Vinehout: Another awful Scott Walker idea: privatizing Family Care. . . “You have got to be kidding!” a Chippewa Valley advocate responded when I told her about a plan to potentially turn Family Care over to a for-profit insurance company. Family Care and its fee-for-service sister, IRIS, provide thousands of Medicaid-eligible frail elderly and disabled people the help they need to remain in their homes . . . If the current version of the governor’s budget becomes law, it will mean big changes to care for frail elderly and disabled people of modest means. For the rest of us, it could mean many more of our neighbors and family members end up in expensive institutions. Worse yet, folks could be stranded at home without the services they need to independently live and work. Madison.com

OH: Ohio highway projects get boost from bonds, logo sales. Partnering with private businesses, offering sponsorships along highways and selling $1 billion in Ohio Turnpike bonds are among ways Gov. John Kasich’s administration has worked to boost transportation revenue amid lagging federal outlays. Akron Legal News

TX: Israeli firm wins first big US job: $800m Texas toll highway. Three years after setting up an office in the US, an Israeli firm has won its first major road-building job there – making toll lanes on a 10-mile stretch of state highway near Houston, Texas. Infrastructure firm Shikun & Binui is a 50% partner in a consortium called Blueridge Transportation Group, which was selected by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to design, build, finance, operate the new toll lanes on SH-288 in Harris County. Under the public-private partnership agreement, once they build it, Blueridge will collect tolls on the road for 52 years. Spain’s ACS Servicios y Concesiones, and InfraRed Capital Partners are the other two consortium members. Global Construction Review

NC: Widen I-77: Toll roads benefit the wealthy. . . The Widen I-77 group has filed suit against NCDOT and contractor I-77 Mobility Partners. The group is seeking a court order to stop the project. I-77 Mobility Partners has filed its own motion asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit because “it has no basis in law.” . . . Kurt Nass of the Widen I-77 group was the plaintiff’s only witness. Nass presented elaborate and detailed cost analysis that he says proves the toll road would be much more expensive in the long run that hiring a private contractor to build general purpose lanes. Nass says the widening is really only needed in the Cornelius area, not for the 26 miles north of Charlotte. He says toll roads only benefit the wealthy. “If you are wealthy enough to use the road then you have solved the congestion problem.” Nass estimates the cost of the toll will be around $20 round trip. Between 30 and 40 members of the group were in the courtroom Tuesday. WBTV

News

McDonald Tells Congress VA Will Not Completely Privatize Health Care. Veterans Affairs Department Secretary Bob McDonald told lawmakers on Thursday he has no plans to grow the agency’s payroll or bureaucracy, or to completely privatize VA health care. McDonald also countered the perception that VA officials and personnel deliberately would thwart programs such as the Veterans Choice program – which permits veterans to get care from non-VA providers. . . . ” We’ve got to have a combination of VA care and non-VA care to properly care for our veterans.” But McDonald, responding to lawmaker and veterans’ groups concerns that VA may promote the Choice Act as a substitute for VA healthcare, said leaders view it only as a supplement to the system. Military.com

TX: North Texas lawmakers taking aim at toll roads. North Texans with toll road fatigue have found champions in the Texas House. Reps. Jeff Leach, Scott Sanford and Matt Shaheen are pushing a series of nine bills that aim to dismantle the bureaucratic and financial mechanisms that have paved the way for a litany of toll projects in the state. Dallas Morning News

CA: Charter school group is political force in LA Unified board election. In Tuesday’s election, this role has shifted to a statewide charter school group, which is raising money, sending mailers and rallying parents in an effort to become a permanent political force.  Los Angeles Times

IN: LaPorte, Lake counties move ahead on Toll Road. LaPorte and Lake counties are pushing ahead in their effort to gain control of the Indiana Toll Road, taking their bid proposal to their respective governmental bodies for approval. . . . In addition to considering the final bid, officials from both counties will be voting on the structure of the Northern Indiana Toll Road Authority, the not-for-profit entity separate from government that would oversee the highway’s private operator. The NITRA would be supervised by a board of directors made up of elected officials from both counties as well as non-elected professionals with substantial experience overseeing large scale projects in fields like tourism, hospitality, transportation, education and health care. There would also be one member of the board representing the profit operator of the Toll Road, officials said. The Toll Road’s current private operator, ITR Concession Co., is in bankruptcy and putting the lease up for sale to help satisfy creditors. USB Bank is conducting and coordinating the bidding process. South Bend Tribune

LA: Regents look at privatizing public universities. Years of deep cuts to state funding for Louisiana’s colleges and universities — and the threat of even further reductions in the near future — have some leaders looking at drastic measures that could change the face of Louisiana higher education. One idea that has recently been floated: Why not encourage some of the state’s public schools to go private? The Advocate

FL: Privatizing prisons could be Scott’s end game – opinion. . . The cynic in me is starting to believe that the Scott administration doesn’t want to fix the problems at the department and doesn’t want to fully investigate the abuse that has been and still is occurring. In the meantime, people in state supervision are dying, and the state is exposed to costly litigation and liability. Perhaps this is the means to an end, and Scott’s true mission is to fully privatize Florida’s prisons — at any cost. Corrections.com

News

For-Profit School Students Challenge Education Department By Refusing To Repay Federal Student Loan. . . Corinthian, once one of the nation’s largest for-profit college chains with more than 110,000 students, is effectively shutting down under the weight of numerous state and federal probes that allege it cheated students by lying to them about job placement and graduation rates. Though the chain has previously disputed allegations from state and federal authorities that it defrauded students, it recently sold more than 50 campuses under pressure from the U.S. Department of Education, and Canadian authorities last week forced another 14 into bankruptcy. A contingent of former students, backed by prominent student advocates, the Massachusetts attorney general and more than a dozen Senate Democrats, has demanded the Education Department forgive federal student loans that thousands of people took out to attend Corinthian’s schools. The department has the authority to cancel loans in instances where students demonstrate that schools defrauded them. Huffington Post

The Secret World of Government Debt Collection . Government agencies across the country are hiring private debt collectors to go after millions of Americans over unpaid taxes, ancient parking tickets and even $1 tolls. CNNMoney

Where Lottery Privatization Went Wrong – William Weld. . . As economic growth remains fragile, governors must look for non-tax ways to raise revenues and avoid painful spending cuts. When I sat in their shoes, I looked at all avenues to plug gaps in the financial position of the state. Improving performance at the state lottery is one reasonably easy opportunity to increase revenues without stifling growth. But even as a long-time proponent of private management, I am constrained to say that the results obtained by private managers in Illinois and New Jersey have been a disappointment. . . . But the real problem with these arrangements lay earlier—in a flawed procurement process. Forbes

IL: Chicago surprise: Why Rahm Emanuel faces a runoff – and can he survive it?. . . While finishing first in the mayoral race, Emanuel, at 45 percent of the vote, failed to garner the majority needed to avoid the first runoff since Chicago switched to nonpartisan elections 20 years ago. . . . The election results have also been interpreted as a blow to the establishment wing of the Democratic Party, led by Mr. Obama, who campaigned with the mayor. . . .Commissioner Garcia, who is backed by the left-leaning online activist group moveon.org, has portrayed his opponent as the mayor of the privileged 1 percent. Born in Mexico but raised in Chicago, Garcia, a former state lawmaker and Chicago alderman, campaigned on the theme of social equality. . . . Meanwhile, Emanuel still faces criticism over his decision in 2013 to close almost 50 public schools seen as low-performing. During Emanuel’s term, public schoolteachers staged their first strike in 25 years. The Chicago Teacher’s Union is backing Garcia. Christian Science Monitor

NJ: Governor Christie Sells Off New Jersey to the Highest Bidder . . . Early in his first term, Governor Christie created a privatization task force, creating a virtual road map for transferring billions of dollars in public assets to private profit driven companies. And throughout his tenure as governor, Christie has pushed to privatize public television, parts of the New Jersey Turnpike and Parkway, public parks, inspectors, and now our water. Governor Christie just signed a bill will open the floodgates for water system privatization in New Jersey. Food and Water Watch (blog)

VA: Delegate Ramadan Continues SCC Push On Dulles Greenway Toll Rates. Legislative efforts aimed at curbing tolls on the Dulles Greenway proved unsuccessful over the past few weeks, but Del. David I. Ramadan is continuing the fight on another front: through the State Corporation Commission. Ramadan (R-87), of South Riding, noted last week that with bills introduced by him and other Loudoun County lawmakers being defeated in this year’s General Assembly session, he’s concentrating on his request for the SCC to investigate the toll structure of Greenway operator Toll Road Investors Partnership II. Leesburg Today

PA: With 3Ps – privatization, paycheck protection and pension reform – it’s open season on unions. . . [T]he Pennsylvania Legislature is the most conservative it’s been in years this year and that’s been reflected in the top priorities in the state House and Senate. The state House is set to take a vote this week on liquor privatization and should the push be successful (and that’s a big if), thousands of state store employees represented by Local 1776 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union could be looking for work. In the Senate, a bill banning the state from collecting political and other dues from employees’ paychecks cleared a Senate committee earlier this week. And a push to reform the state’s underfunded pensions has some employees worried for their retirements.. . . Despite the current siege, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is opposed to privatization and, while he acknowledges the pension funding problem, isn’t a fan of the GOP-backed remedies making the rounds. PennLive.com (blog)

PA: Liquor privatization takes another step forward, but Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto looms. Pennsylvania is one step closer to pulling out of the liquor business after a House committee voted 15-10 in favor of a privatization bill along party lines. . . . Wolf, however, has vowed to veto the legislation. He has already made his own pitch, for modernization, which he said could include expanded Sunday hours and more liquor stores inside existing supermarkets. PennLive.com

KY: Public-private partnerships bill approved. Despite strong protests of Northern Kentuckians who say it is a step toward approving tolls on a new Brent Spence Bridge, the House budget committee on Tuesday approved the bill authorizing public-private partnerships for road and bridge projects. . . The bill authorizes state government to contract with private sector partners who will finance and build bridge and road projects. Just as state law currently lets a state university to contract with a private company to build a dorm and then be repaid with student housing fees, the bill would let the state contract with a highway contractor to build a road or bridge and be paid off with toll revenues. The Courier-Journal

IL: Chicago Charter School Teachers Demand a Union. Teachers and staff at Chicago’s Urban Prep Academies and North Lawndale College Prep (NLCP) announced on Friday they are seeking to form a union, joining the growing movement to organize charter school teachers in Chicago and around the country. . . . As hostility to teachers unions by some education reformers and government officials has risen in recent years, the number of charter schools—schools which are largely publicly funded but privately run—has seen a dramatic increase. As the New York Times reports, many charter school backers see teacher unions as incompatible with charters, as they say the schools “are more effective because they are free from the regulations and bureaucracies that govern traditional public schools.” Supporters of charter school unionization say collective bargaining allows teachers to secure the resources and conditions that create quality teachers and stable schools. In These Times

News

Risk Disclosure for Public-Private Partnerships Under Scrutiny. Public-private partnership (P3) risks are on the agenda of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board, which sets financial reporting standards for the federal government. An exposure draft issued in October called for more disclosure of the risk of deals where the government turns to the private sector to provide infrastructure, goods and services. Comments on the draft closed in January. Wall Street Journal ($)

PA: Pennsylvania liquor privatization bill clears House committee hurdle. A proposal to sell off most of Pennsylvania’s state-owned liquor system and its wholesale distribution network is moving ahead, but its prospects for passage remain unclear. Allentown Morning Call

OH: Union bids to regain job of feeding Ohio prison inmates. Seeking to recapture jobs its members once held in prison kitchens, the largest state employee union says it can feed inmates cheaper than the oft-criticized contractor the state plans to rehire. The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association submitted a one-year proposal on Monday to feed inmates for $1.216 per meal, a price it said would save $2.9 million a year over the price offered by Aramark Correctional Services. . . . Despite problems with maggots in kitchens, staffing and food shortages, and inappropriate employee conduct with inmates, prison officials quietly moved on Oct. 30 to renew Aramark’s contract. Columbus Dispatch

RI: Gov. Raimondo cites tolls, public-private partnerships as options to fund state’s highway projects. After more than a year of wrangling over the much-criticized Sakonnet River Bridge toll, Rhode Island lawmakers announced last June that they had created a “long-term solution for financing Rhode Island’s roads and bridges,’’ that would avert the need for the toll. From fee hikes and gas tax increases, they anticipated enough new taxpayer revenue to raise the amount available for Department of Transportation projects. Raimondo put the potential for “tolls” back on the bargaining table in a weekend Associated Press story about the poor condition of many of Rhode Island’s roads and bridges – and the uncertainty about future federal highway funding. “We need to take a comprehensive look at solutions, everything from public-private partnerships to tolling,” Raimondo said. The Providence Journal

TX: Proposed bill would put sunset clause on Texas tollways. . . “HB 1734 returns tolling to its traditional purpose: a temporary funding mechanism that is removed once the roads are fully paid off,” Shaheen said in a statement he issued on Monday. “We cannot allow the toll fees for roads we use every day to become a de facto tax into perpetuity.” The bill would also limit the North Texas Tollway Authority’s ability to renegotiate its toll road financing if it extends the term of the bonds. Austin Business Journal (blog)

CT: UConn Asserts Contracting Watchdog Has Only Limited Power Over It. The University of Connecticut has told the watchdog agency that oversees state contracting that it has only limited authority to investigate allegations made against the school. “The constituent units [of higher education] are not ‘state contracting agencies'” under the law, UConn’s Office of the General Counsel wrote to the state Contracting Standards Board in an email earlier this month. UConn receives hundreds of millions of dollars from the state each year for operating costs and construction projects. Hartford Courant

 

 

News

TX: ABC 7 Investigates: AEDC & Local Public-Private Partnertships. . . .The Commerce Building transaction has prompted a federal inquiry into the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation’s (AEDC). Now, we’re digging deeper into other real estate transactions facilitated through public private partnerships with the Prana Development Group, the AEDC and other local academic institutions in our area. . . . . The overlap between business and philanthropy is evident when looking at the Commerce Building transaction. The Commerce Building was purchased by a Prana-connected company for 1.675 million, sold to the AEDC for 3.1 million, and later gifted to WT for the Downtown Amarillo Center. The WT Foundation Board includes Alan Rhodes, Kathy Cornett and Dyke Rogers, who are also investors in the Prana Development Group. Prana through the sale of the Commerce Building is connected to the AEDC. Another connection is through the Eastport Business Park, which is marketed by the AEDC . The AEDC also manages the Centerport Business Park, which has property that is owned by Prana. Since the AEDC has facilitated many of these deals, some are calling for more scrutiny when public money is used. The ultimate oversight over the AEDC is the Amarillo City Council. ConnectAmarillo.com

OH: Stronger beer, prison privatization, guns among issues raised in new Ohio House bills. Under House Bill 73, sponsored by two Youngstown-area Democrats, the governor couldn’t close, sell or privatize any state prisons or other institutional facilities before getting permission from a newly created state facilities closure commission. The proposed 13-member commission would include lawmakers, state agency heads, people with experience working in the agency targeted by the change, and a union official. cleveland.com

OH: More charter school controls wanted by the left and by Auditor Yost on the right. State Auditor Dave Yost, shown here announcing a recent audit of discrepancies in charter school enrollment and kids who actually show up for class, says that charter school reform proposals from Gov. Kasich and House Republicans do not go far enough. cleveland.com

KY: Kentucky bill would aid Brent Spence Bridge privatization effort. . . Rep. Leslie Combs, D-Pikeville, is the lead sponsor of the bill to permit the state to work together with private groups to get needed road and bridge work done. She is one of 10 House Democrats to attach their names to the bill. State lawmakers approved a similar effort one year ago after a provision was added by Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, to prohibit adding tolls on any interstate project that connects Kentucky and Ohio. Simpson said at the time he preferred to take a “wait-and-see” approach to tolls in northern Kentucky. However, Gov. Steve Beshear vetoed the bill. The Democratic governor said in his veto message it was a bad idea to eliminate any funding options for the project to replace the bridge that carries Interstates 71 and 75 into Cincinnati. The existing structure is toll free. This year’s version, HB443, includes a provision that would require approval of a joint resolution by the Kentucky Legislature for partnerships that involve projects with the state of Ohio. Land Line Msgazine

NJ: Trenton council, residents speak out on privatization of trash pickup . . . Although a formal vote on the issue was not taken because it was a study session, statements made by three members of the council indicate they are in favor of outsourcing, while four expressed they’d rather keep the job in house. Southgate News Herald

FL: Charter School Operator With Four Fs Gets Cash to Open More. A charter school management company with a history of operating failing or shuttered schools has been approved for two more schools in Panama City, leaving some South Florida parents wondering why millions in public money continue flowing to the company and the schools it manages. “Unbelievable,” said John Wai, who was told two weeks into this school year that a Sunrise school managed by Newpoint Education Partners was shutting down because it could not find suitable permanent classroom space. NBC 6 South Florida‎

IN: Lawmakers struggle to pay for roads. After years of spending billions from the lease of the Indiana Toll Road, the state is in the same boat as the rest of the nation – coping with gas tax revenues that are not keeping pace with inflation and wondering what the long-term solution is. “We can’t hook to the gas tax because it’s a losing proposition going forward,” said House Ways and Means Chairman Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville. . . . When Toll Road lease revenue dropped off in 2013, it brought down Indiana Department of Transportation spending by about $300 million the next year. . . . The General Assembly is waiting for a study commissioned last year that INDOT is undertaking to present options on funding. It is set to come out this summer. . . . One idea getting traction in some states is a tax or fee on miles driven or on the sale of high-mileage cars. Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

PA: House set to vote on liquor privatization bill despite concerns that members may not know what’s in it. In its first significant piece of business in the 2015-16 legislative session, the state House of Representatives is poised to vote this week on a bill that would get the state out of the liquor business. But some wonder how many legislators casting votes really know what the bill would do. Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, and a union official suggest even the bill’s sponsor, House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, seems confused about what’s in the legislation based on comments he made during a recent PCN Call-in Program. PennLive.com

News

Some Debt Collectors Get Away With Shady Behavior When Collecting Debt For Government. . . According to “Above The Law,” an in-depth investigative piece from CNNMoney, government agencies — federal, state and local – have long hired private debt collectors to go after millions of Americans with unpaid taxes, tickets, bills and other debts. One of the country’s largest and most connected private debt collectors is Texas-based law firm Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, which holds contracts for 2,300 clients in 21 states. . . . But CNN claims that Linebarger sometimes do things that other private collectors aren’t allowed to, like charging exceptionally high fees and employing threats against debtors. Such powers makes it relatively simply for collectors like Linebarger to transform small debts like an unpaid road toll from just a few dollars to a few hundred dollars, like the Texas driver whose unpaid $7.50 toll ballooned into a collections bill for $157.50. The Consumerist

GSA’s Hashmi: Private clouds aren’t really ‘cloud’….”The right long-term direction for the industry and government is to make the public cloud providers that have scale that none of us can ever match become secure enough that they can actually meet our expectations,” Hashmi said. He admitted his position is on the extreme side of conventional wisdom but believes that is where the market is headed. Federal Times

SC: Gov. Deal Wants State to Take Over, Privatize Struggling Schools; Democrats Offer Alternative. One week after Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, unveiled a proposal to enable state takeovers and privatization of struggling schools, State Senate Democrats have put forth an alternative plan they say addresses the root causes of failure in the education system. . . . The legislation would create a grant program based on the Community Schools model, which has been implemented in several states including Ohio, Kentucky, and Oregon. Under this model, schools are transformed into community centers that offer an array of services tailored to the needs of each individual school. Atlanta Progressive News

IN: Hoosier School Heist book spotlights information within Indiana public school system. Indiana native Doug Martin’s book titled Hoosier School Heist: Corporation and Theocrats stole Democracy from Public Education details the assault on Indiana public schools and gives the dirt on the billionaires, theocrats, and corporations who are really calling the shots from behind the scenes. Hoosier School Heist, Martin follows the scandals, the corruption, and the money. Shockingly Martin shows violations in Open Door Laws; for example, felons, Republicans, people who did time in prison (and many more who should have), and child abusers. Indianapolis Recorder

IL: The Billionaire Governor Goes After Workers. In November, Illinois voters narrowly decided – after one of the most expensive gubernatorial elections in the nation’s history – to elect Bruce Rauner, a hedge fund billionaire, to lead the state. Consider it an experiment in class politics. How would a man of the 0.01% address Illinois’ many challenges? . . . Rauner has already frozen all “non-essential” state spending and hiring, with an exemption, apparently, for a $100,000 a year Chief of Staff for his spouse. The war on public workers will be accompanied by a continued assault on public schools. The piecemeal privatization of public education will be accompanied by piecemeal privatization of more public services. CounterPunch

FL: Letters: State foolish to privatize services. Last Thursday, the headline on the front page was “State may throw out $1B (billion) in contracts” regarding the health care afforded the inmates of our state prisons. The care of prisoners is not limited to inadequate health care provided by independent contractors, but also includes the independent contractors in charge of the prison system. This is what happens when the pro-business state decides to privatize an industry previously handled by the government. It is penny-wise and pound-foolish. In searching to improve their bottom line, contractors end up cutting services. They are responsible to their shareholders, not to the state that provides them with substantial contracts. Palm Beach Post

JIM HIGHTOWER: Exciting new democracy movement. Under the banner of “Reclaim Chicago,” a dynamic, politically savvy progressive coalition has emerged, engaging thousands of grassroots Chicagoans in a people-led democratic movement to reclaim their city from the cabal of corporate elites and corrupt politicians now reigning over them. . . . ndeed, the problem in Chicago has been that “one” has been in charge, imposing corporate rule that further enriches the rich, while holding down everyone else. At present, the city’s Numero Uno is Rahm Emanuel, the strong man mayor and Wall Street Democrat who uses everything from privatization schemes and tax favoritism to harsh budget cuts and arbitrary police action to shift money and power away from the people and the common good, into the coffers of the moneyed elites. Emanuel’s plutocratic ruthlessness is surpassed only by his blimp-sized ego – “Mayor 1-Percent,” as the people have dubbed him, thinks he’s untouchable. Stillwater News Press

News

MO: Toll option still on the table for I-70 rebuild. In a report to the governor on tolling options, MoDOT estimated that a trip across the state on I-70 would cost $20-$30 per car and $40-$90 for trucks. If tolling moves forward in Missouri, a study would need to be done to determine rates, toll plaza locations and governance of the roads. None of those decisions can be made until lawmakers act. State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said all options are on the table for I-70. But he thinks the more pressing issue is the overall funding crisis for MoDOT’s entire system. If lawmakers were to move forward with the toll option, it would still have to go before voters. A proposed sales tax to fund the I-70 project was voted down last year. MoDOT has approval from the Federal Highway Administration to rebuild I-70 as a toll road. But that approval will expire if something is not done. ABC17News.com

SC: Columbia City Council passes ordinance to avoid privatization of water, sewer system. Columbia City Council unanimously passed a measure Tuesday night to allow City Manager Teresa Wilson to receive proposals to make the city’s system efficient without turning over control to a private company. Council convened within the past week and brought back an ordinance that would keep privatization of the water and sewer system off the table as city officials try to repair public utilities. “Often times we want it both ways,” said Mayor Steve Benjamin. “We have to seek efficiencies, but at the same time we have to invest in our system. If, in fact, we’re going to improve infrastructure, we have to invest.” ColaDaily.com

WI: As Scott Walker mulls White House bid, a spotlight on his jobs agency. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, a public-private body set up by Walker shortly after he took office in January 2011, was supposed to help the state climb out of recession by shedding bureaucratic rules and drawing on private-sector expertise. But the WEDC has fallen short of its own goals by tens of thousands of jobs and failed to keep track of millions of dollars it has handed out. One reason for the agency’s disappointing performance: Walker’s overhaul of the state bureaucracy drove away seasoned development workers, economic development experts who work closely with the agency told Reuters. Critics say the WEDC’s struggles highlight a significant gap in Walker’s resume as he lays the groundwork for a likely Republican presidential bid in the 2016 election: his middling record on job creation. Reuters

OH: Kasich budget plan increases funding to all charter schools. Charter-school funding in Ohio could exceed $1 billion by 2017 under Gov. John Kasich’s proposed two-year budget, which provides increases to every school. Columbus Dispatch

OH: Ohio highway projects get boost from bonds, logo sales. Partnering with private businesses, offering sponsorships along highways and selling $1 billion in Ohio Turnpike bonds are among ways Gov. John Kasich’s administration has worked to boost transportation revenue amid lagging federal outlays. . . . The state opted against selling naming rights along the turnpike — say, to sports teams — after negative public feedback. But it has let companies promote themselves by putting their names on road signs, trucker lounges, snow plows and pet-walking areas. The Trucker

IL: A look at Rahm Emanuel’s privatized Chicago – audio. Writer Rick Perlstein joins Rick Kogan to talk about his latest piece for In These Times, “How to Sell Off a City“, The article looks at Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago’s trend of privatization: the transfer of the ownership of public resources (schools, government services, etc…) to owners who turn a profit from their use. WGN Radio

ID: Sportsmen rally against federal land-grab by state. A packed Montana Capitol rotunda Monday played host to hundreds of opponents rallying against the proposed transfer of federal land to state ownership, with speakers blasting the idea as the first step toward privatizing public lands, according to a story in the Helena Independent-Record. Sportsmen and conservation groups organized the rallies in Montana and Idaho. The Spokesman Review (blog)

NJ: Now They Want to Privatize Wildlife Management – No, I’m Not Kidding. . . As if Gov. Christie’s recent privatization of NJ’s water resources wasn’t bad enough, they’ve gone way too far now. And this one has the Keep It Green Coalition and/or NJ Audubon’s fingerprints all over it. I am referring to proposed legislation (S2624), sponsored by Republican Senator Kip Bateman, that would establish a “private wildlife” management program. WolfeNotes.com

FL: RCBOE voices concerns over new ‘failing’ school legislation. The legislation, unveiled last week, calls for a statewide “district” of “consistently failing schools” scoring under 60 on the Department of Education’s College and Career Readiness Performance Index for three consecutive years. The state of Georgia could assume complete operation of a designated “failing” school, partner with local school districts to run it, convert it to a charter school or close it. . . Board member Charlie Hannah said the new legislation not only comes at a stressful time for school districts, but could also “hurt the students that need the most help.”. . . If this is passed, I’m afraid it will lead to increased privatization of schools … and that will just hurt underprivileged kids the most.” The Augusta Chronicle

NY: SUNY New Paltz to host ‘Challenging the Attacks on Public Education’. SUNY New Paltz will host a panel discussion “Challenging the Attacks on Public Education: Carrying on the Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement” on March 3. While corporate education policy makers claim to be advocates of civil rights, their policies have instead undermined the civil and human rights of students, parents, educators and local communities, according to a press release about the event. The Daily Freeman

Opinion: Politicians should ditch ALEC. In December, eBay became the latest major company to cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). More and more U.S. corporations are growing wary of public backlash from the think tank’s legacy of controversial policy advocacy. . . . The company’s exit follows Google’s, Yahoo’s, Facebook’s and Yelp’s decisions in September to end their membership in ALEC. Coca-Cola, General Motors, Walmart and a number of other Fortune 500 companies have severed ties with ALEC over the last two years as well. Corporate leaders are realizing that the conservative think tank is too radical to represent their interests. ALEC promotes state and local legislation to eliminate the minimum wage, privatize public education and oppose campaign finance reform. It is time our politicians also recognize that ALEC is out of touch with mainstream American values and stop treating the group as a constructive player in our legislative processes.   Al Jazeera America