When you hear "privatize" just substitute the word "steal"

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

like in this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2242027

It will work every time.

Privatize: to sell off the commonly held resources or wealth of a country or other public entity to a private corporation or person, for some greatly devalued amount - usually in exchange for some cocktail weenies or golf trip or the promise of future employment for said public official and/or various and sundry nere do well relatives.

[swag]

1. When somebody tells you, "privatize,"

you know they've got their hands in your pockets.

[linazelle]

2. You are absolutely right. Palast's book, "Best Democracy Money

Can Buy" talks about the California energy crisis and how they "privatized" things there and abroad. It's the biggest scam going.

[K-W]

3. Yep, it either means handing public assets to profiteers

or allowing profiteers to insert themselves into the government.

The kicker is that most people in this country are convinced that allowing someone to come in and take a cut of a federal program makes the program more efficient, and that we must give away public assets because the public cant be trusted with assets.

And they call themselves pro-democracy.

[Union Thug]

4. Thank you...dead on...

Privatization is nothing more than handing OUR commons over to the already over-rich, over-wealthy, elite few.

"You privatize away what is ours, what is ours
You privatize away what is ours.

You privatize away - and then you make us pay
Oh we'll take it back someday, mark my words, mark my words.
We'll take it back someday. Mark my words."

Billy Bragg!

[Hidden Stillness]

5. Don't Use the Word "Private," When What You Mean is Commercial

I never use the word "privatize," as I believe it is an underhanded, only-partly-conscious way to get people to associate corporate business dealings with things that are private, that is, none of your concern, behind closed doors and should be there, etc. It is not public, it is private, private property, for the rich people and capitalists only, not for you to know about--and this is good! It is NOT "private," it is a publicly chartered commercial enterprise which we have a right to get all information on. Also, if you call it, for example, "commercializing Social Security," or "making Medicare corporate," it gets the idea across alarmingly clear, as much as the phony "privatizing it," is designed to lull people to sleep. The only thing that should be private, is, oddly enough, the private, personal behavior and opinions of citizens--which they never respect anymore!

[WinkyDink]

6. "Privatize": The technique brought to you by the Mafia!

[Captain Hilts]

7. "Privatizing" natural resources to benefit the few violates the BIBLE!!!!

The fruits of the earth belong to EVERYONE.

This is why people in the FSU LOVE that Mikhail Kodorkovsky is in jail - he made money off of resources that belong to them all. He didn't invent something, he just made money by selling off of someone else's property.
That's how they see it and they're right.

[pitohui]

8. believe me phoebe I DO

ever since ronald reagan

was privatize even a word before then?

[TahitiNut]

9. "Privateer" = "pirate"

:shrug:

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

10. Great! I'm making it my personal goal to demonize the words

"privatize" and "deregulate" since these seem to be the favored avenues for screwing over the American public.