Myths That Must Die: Government is never as good as Private Enterprise

[ColbertWatcher]

Ooh, I hate this one.

I live in California and remember when Enron screwed us over. I remember when GOPbot Version 2.0 had his little meeting before he was installed as governor. I remember when the CA GOP blamed it on anyone but Enron.

Oh, yes. I remember.

I have also watched Waste Management suck money out of communities because somehow only Texans can pick up trash properly. Whoddathunkit?

And then there's the damn school privatization, prison privatization, military privatization and the list goes on along with the myth. (Apparently the salmonella found in breakfast cereal is the government's fault)

When did the myth of private corporations superiority to government and government's complete incompetence begin? And after Katrina, how does it still live?

Now that Old Man McSame wants to privatize social security (!) the myth will be given new life.

How can we end this lie once and for all?

[Donnachaidh]

1. Wasn't it a private contractor that built a building out of fecal matter in Iraq?

I'm having a brainfart -- but wasn't that one of the many complaints about a building over there?

That lie should be burned into the forehead of any puke who has ever had the cajones to get in front of a camera and say it. :grr:

[ColbertWatcher]

7. Maybe you're thinking of...

...Halliburton using fecal matter to filter the soldiers' water?

[Donnachaidh]

14. nope. This was an actual building with fecal matter used for walls.

I'll have to dig up the info. It was different than the Halliburton water thing. :shrug:

[baldguy]

2. I work at a multi-billion dollar, Fortune 100 corporation.

We spent Friday afternoon gossiping & throwing a football around. No one who actually WORKS in the private sector believes it's naturally more efficient than govt.

If it were true there'd never be any bankruptcies.

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Gossiping & throwing a football?

But, I bet you did it better than some gubmint bureaucrat could!

Git 'er done!

[coriolis]

5. Well, considering the financial health of the federal government right now,

I'm not so sure that's a reassuring proposition. :evilgrin:

[ColbertWatcher]

8. The government is as good as...

...the people in charge of running it.

And if you've got people who believe private corporations are the only ones who can inspect meat or secure airlines, this is what you get:

[mrcheerful]

3. Hello read about america during Hoovers years in the white house

pukes have believed privation since the Hoover years. Libertarians believe the same myth. It goes hand in hand with the ideal business can police itself, government control cost to much, the poor are best served by the church myths. Somehow these people lost contact with the learn from history part of the brain or is that the thinking part?, they believe that since government is corrupt, then big business is the answer, after all business people have more then enough money so they can't be bribed like politicians can be bribed.

[ColbertWatcher]

6. Succinct history, well done! n/t

[Stuart G]

9. I have a specific,real, example...A government agency that is equal to or superior

..... to private..................
.............................................
In the Chicago Metro Area, a transportation system of commuter railroad service..Metra, certainly performs as well as the private industry preformed. Without it, there would be tens of thousands of more cars on the already crowded expressways. When the railroads began to go out of the passenger business, their commuter service declined too. In 1971, then Governor Richard B. Ogilvy set up a 6 county commuter railroad public entity called Metra.
..Without it, there would have been no service, since it was getting too expensive to operate. IT wasn't providing a profit.
.. With subsidies, yes, taxes, Metra operates hundreds of trains out of at least 4 separate downtown stations. The trains are clean, efficient, mostly quiet, and mostly on time. Further, it feeds passengers into the Chicago Transit Authority which is Chicago's public transportation system.
..Is there inefficiencies and corruption..Sure. I notice the same thing at General Motors. But this governmental entity provides an excellent service that private industry would not provide.
..Oh and one for thing. Relatively inexpensive........

..A round trip of approximately 25 miles costs about six dollars.
..Parking the car downtown would cost 20 dollars...and what about gas? wear and tear on the car? and wear and tear on me?
.........end of discussion................

[ColbertWatcher]

11. Re: the "corruption"

That's a good point, but the one thing the "privateers" seem to forget is that when it comes to corruption, government (public entities) are designed to handle corruption; private companies not so much.

Every government run entity is held accountable to the people who pay for it. No matter how much corruption there is, there is always public hearings, and public accountability.

Private corruption hides the way Enron did.

[SteinbachMB]

10. It's generally true for most things people need or want

Things we need in our homes, and basic daily life, are better provided by the private sector. But,

here in Manitoba we have a natural monopoly in Manitoba Hydro ( water-powered electricity) which is run by the government. We also have our auto insurance, Autopac, run by government, and our premiums are pretty reasonable.

[Arctic Dave]

12. People who say this, likely never worked for a large

corporation. If they have, they would understand that corps. don't neccessarily want to do thing properly or quickly. They make more money this way by delaying and gouging. It is just the illusion of doing things properly because they pay a lot of money on PR.

[ColbertWatcher]

13. Maybe, but...

...don't a lot of people work for Wal-Mart? You'd think all those people who worked there (and currently work there) would know better.