ALEC launches Publicopoly -- an initiative to help state legislatures privatize government

[highplainsdem]

I ran across a reference to this in Dylan Ratigan's HuffPo article, "America for Sale: Is Goldman Sachs Buying Your City?" (I've posted a separate topic about that).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-ratigan/america-for-sale-is-goldm_b_877285.html

This is the page on ALEC's website for their new initiative:

http://www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=publicopoly

Growing the economy, reducing government costs, achieving higher performance, and saving taxpayer dollars are at the top of nearly every state’s legislative goals. Privatization, or shifting aspects of industry or business from government to private-sector providers, can help realize these objectives. Over the years, numerous services have been successfully privatized by government agencies to provide better community service, strengthen competition in the marketplace and create jobs.

To help legislators win for their state, ALEC is introducing “Publicopoly” - an initiative to provide solutions for a more effective, efficient government and a thriving economy.

Select Your Game Square:

-snip-

ALEC's "game squares" which it's encouraging state legislatures to privatize:

Government Operations
Education
Transportation & Infrastructure
Public Safety
Environment
Health Telecommunications


Each of the game squares on that page links to a page with ALEC's policies.

The one for Environment, for instance, links to this page

http://www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Environment

which advocates privatizing water utilities.


Of course, as Dylan Ratigan's article in HuffPo explains, these investments are especially attractive to the private sector because they're most often monopolies.

Which ALEC is now peddling to state legislators under the cutesy name of "Publicopoly."

More on the harm this group does in the long compilation topic on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

[Dawson Leery]

1. K/R

[CarmanK]

2. Nothing cutesy about PUBLICOPOLY, it's anti-american!!

Sounds like we are in this for the long haul. Boy, have the dems and the american been taken on a propaganda ride that is both deceptive and destructive to the american democracy. Our founders are turning in their graves. It wouldn't be so bad if some of these business initiatives were helpful to the middle class and good for the country, but they clearly are not. This is publicopoly, but it really sounds like another word for economic treason and sell out of american values systems. That is the real american values not the phony ones espoused by the repugs and tbaggers to dominate and do harm. the spell check doesn't recognize PUBLICOPOLY, so it must be another Luntz original.

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. What are you talking about? What makes you think there's anything unAmerican

about fascism?

[Angry Dragon]

3. ALEC sounds like a terrorist organization

I wonder if the politicians realize that the kock money comes from a company that made their money from the Nazi government and Communism ??

[Tippy]

5. I asked my State Rep...if he gets all his talking points from ALEC

He told me via e-mail he didn't know who ALEC was...so I told him...he refused to ans. any more questions,,,

[OHdem10]

4. Ratigan is running a 3 part series on this privatization going on

in the states. Today he covered Mayor Daleys selling
the parking meters to Wall St. In some spots one hour
parking now costs you, the taxpayer, 20 quarters or
FIVE Dollars (one hour). He sold the meters for1.1
billion dollars. Wall ST Company will make at least
Ten Billion. Once the billion is gone, no more income
for Chicago. People are protesting in the streets.

Irony. Wall St threw us into the crisis with high unemployment.
No Jobs means no tax money coming into State. Wall Street
show up --we will help you out of your deficit(states). We
will buy your water, toll roads , parking meters, prisons.
Once again they stick it Main Street.

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. Well, that was the plan, wasn't it? nt

[Angry Dragon]

8. The wall street company then sold the meters to a

foreign company so the money does not even stay in this country .......... just so you know

[highplainsdem]

10. Yes, there are links in the OP to the first article, and the DU topic about it. I'm glad he's

covering this -- it isn't getting enough attention. I remember Ed Schultz doing a story on Kasich's plans for privatization in Ohio, for instance, but there haven't been enough like this.

Just found that transcript:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42232445/ns/msnbc_tv-the_ed_show/t/ed-show-tuesday-march-nd/

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASICH: There are more privatizations to come. They are not in this budget, but we‘re seeking broad authority for additional privatization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Additional privatization. It‘s the answer to everything.

Republicans want to treat government like a business and people like commodities. They have no sense of economic patriotism or social justice, so Governor John Kasich and other Republicans, I think, need to quit acting like used car salesmen and start acting like the public servants that they were elected to be. It is hard to believe that the country is not totally focused on what this group of Republican governors is actually doing to the infrastructure of America. We are talking about millions of American workers who are being affected by this. And we‘re also talking about the next generation that may not have a say in all of this.

[Hector Solon]

9. This one has got me ragging again - Key ALEC Goal - Privitize All Cities and Schools n/t