What the hell is wrong with these people? They’re advocating privatization of the following Cleveland facilities in order to “save” the city:
- Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport
- Parking Facilities
- Solid Waste Collection
- Building Maintenance
- Transit Operations
- Parks Operation and Maintenance
- Libraries
- Public Works and Community Development Services
- Vehicle Fleet Maintenance/Management
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Operations and Management
No way, baby. Shareholders want one thing: more profits. And the only way you get that is by generating higher revenues and/or lowering expenses. Nothing else matters.
At least with the present system, if it’s crappy, you can throw the rascals in City Hall out on their ear and put better people in.
Not so with government for the shareholders. You’re stuck with the private, for-profit system UNLESS…you represent a big enough block of shares to toss out the board of directors. That costs money — lots of money — to buy the shares.
So there it is: to get better city services, you have to buy shares AND pay for the services.
OR you can stick with what you have and vote to toss the rascals out. Not necessary to buy shares. Not necessary to pay to vote.
Privatization: Not necessary.
Once upon a time, we actually had government by the shareholders. That’s basically what our country was back in 1789: white property owners had the right to vote. No one else did. That was wrong and, over time, we extended the vote to most everyone else. Now they want to turn back the clock to 1789.
No way.