If the Private Sector Ran the Public Agencies...

[Rechan]

I and my buddy were having a conversation the other day about how some people are so offended that they have to pay taxes. And yeah, I've ran across these people too, the ones who think that taxes are robbery. They're always talking about privatizing everything. So, what would happen if our various tax-funded agencies were sent to the private sector?

"Welcome to 911. If you are having a medical emergency, please press 1. If you are being attacked, please press 2. If you would like to report another crime, please press 3. If you would like to report a fire, please press 4. If you would like to report a non-crime such as a car accident, please press 5. If you would like to talk to a live operator, please press 0."

0.

"I'm sorry, all of our available operators are busy right now. Please wait, and an operator will be with you. We are very concerned for your well being, and hope that you are all right."

20 minutes later.

"Yes, this is 911, how may we help you?"

"Hi, someone broke into my home, shot me, and set my house on fire. I dragged myself out side and am sitting in a pool of my own blood."

"Would you like an ambulance, the fire squad, or the police?"

"All three please."

"Very well. A full medical team will be $400, a fire squad with pressurized hoses and one hundred gallons of water will be $300, and a hard nosed detective who plays by his own rules and always gets his man will be $600. Putting this case at the top of his queue will cost an additional $150."

"What can I get for $100?"

"A drunk veterinarian with a first aid kit, A kid with a squirt gun, and a fat beat cop about to retire."

*sigh* "Do you take credit cards?" "All major credit cards, checks, and cash."

"Okay."

"Thank you very much. The ambulance should be there in fourty five minutes or less, the fire squad is in between shifts right now so they should arrive in four hours, and the police will be at your residence from between 10 and 2 tomorrow, assuming your residence is not a smoldering pile."

[Lasher]

1. Your call is very important to us

And that's why you're rotting on hold right now.

You might experience longer waiting time, due to our need to lay off people so that we can afford to give our CEO his $100 million bonus this year.

[Melsky]

2. You need to put another couple of zeros on the prices

[nylab123]

3. I will play devil's advocate...

Example: Hurricane Katrina... Look how POORLY the government performed in providing aid to those that needed help on the local, state, and federal levels. It was the help of the people and private businesses that went into the disaster area and helped those people when the gov't. was too busy stuck in all of it's red tape.

Besides that example, I agree that we are better off with the government in control of SOME (but not all) things. On the other hand, I also believe in the opposite that the people of the private sector have control over most other things with minimal oversight by the government. We dont want to turn into the USSR Soviet Union.

I like being able to have my independence and freedom.

The more we have government control...
the more we become dependent on them,
the more they can tell us what to do,
the more we become their zombies,
the LESS freedom we have as Americans.
Then we'll no longer be the land of the FREE.

I'm not disproving or putting down your opinion, but that's how I see things. We have to find that fine line of who controls what.

[Warpy]

5. Look at how well FEMA performed after 9/11

The government performed poorly because the antigovernment zealots are in control of it and have used agencies meant to help its citizens as a dumping ground for the least competent cronies of the head zealot.

Duh.

When you put people into office on the strength of their hatred of the government they are to oversee, it's no damn wonder the government stops working.

Your comparison was simply not a valid one.

[Greyhound]

7. You are being disingenuous at best. The FEMA that failed so badly

in the case of Katrina, is the criminal cabals crony ridden, mismanaged shell. They spent the previous four years gutting the budget and resources, and firing or forcing out all of the competent people.

[Sammy Pepys]

4. You'd still have the same hangups.

The government is simply not built for speed in many cases. Privatizing probably won't help that.

[dcfirefighter]

6. Close to home

IMO, and I'm in disagreement with my union here, there are 'private' providers that can provide these services, especially EMS better than we (government) can.

Most specifically, EMS. There are several 'Public Utility Model' EMS systems in the US, each one is top-notch and low cost. Everything is done to get very highly trained people to your door very quickly. The basic model is this: private companies compete for a multi-year contract with a jurisdiction. The contract states response goals (such as 90% of calls have a paramedic at your door within 8 minutes). They lose money for failing to meet these goals, and they lose money for each minute they're late. They almost always adopt the latest cutting edge technology and training. Very few government run EMS systems operate this effectively or efficiently (though, to be fair, the service IS partially paid for, and overseen by government).

Similarly, Security guards can often provide better security (but not law enforcement) than police agencies.

There are places that have 'private' contracted fire service, though they are few. I see no reason tehy couldn't operate like the PUM EMS system above. The main criticism of the PUM EMS systems is that they burn-out their employees (it's hard to be busy member of the knife and gun club). Fire Departments benefit more from long years of experience than EMS systems do.

[fedsron2us]

8. What makes them think they would pay lower taxes ?

Here in the UK an increasing number of public services have been contracted out to the private sector. The main result is that costs have gone up and the quality of service has gone down. Taxes have remained as high as ever. In many ways it is just a form of state funded corporate dole for businesses that can no longer cut it in the open market against foreign competition. It has been going on in the defence industries for years.

[IronLionZion]

9. actually, it's privatized now

at least ambulances are. I got a bill for $600 for taking a ride in an ambulance. My car insurance paid it.

I didn't care about that, it was the hospital bill that really pissed me off.

Certain wealthy neighborhoods have private security firms in addition to the local police...for a hefty fee.

I don't know about the fire situation now, but there were competing private fire companies in this country 100 years ago and that sucked ass for people who needed it. Can you imagine haggling over prices while your house is buring down?

[anewdeal]

10. as bad a the private sector is ...

the public sector will always be even worse