‘Government’ Isn’t the Problem
Posted by MEC on June 16, 2007
I was reading the latest horror story from Walter Reed Army Medical Center:
The Army said Friday that it has opened an investigation into the recent discovery of 4,500 letters and parcels — some dating to May 2006 — at Walter Reed that were never delivered to soldiers.
And this sentence jumped out at me:
And it fired the contract employee who ran the mailroom.
Rightwingers want us to believe that “government” is a Bad Thing, and in particular that it’s a Bad Thing for government to provide services that, you know, private companies could be making a profit for providing.
Except that private companies all too often make a profit for not providing those services. They’re in it to make money, not to provide the services per se.
The Constitution says, right there in the Preamble, that the United States government was formed to “promote the general welfare”. We’ve seen enough examples of how privatizing services that are properly the purview of the federal government damages the general welfare. Can we maybe have privatization declared unconstitutional? A girl can dream.
6 Responses to “‘Government’ Isn’t the Problem”
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Phoenix Woman said
There you go, MEC. Outsourcing leads to bigger expense, as well as a de facto revival of the inherently corrupt “spoils system”.
MEC said
When outsourcing doesn’t lead to bigger expense, it’s because the employees of the outsourcing firm have lower wages and benefits, to offset the firm’s profit from the outsourcing contract. Privatizing drives down everybody’s wages and threatens the American Dream by undercutting health care, job security, retirement plans, and other elements of a decent life that we should be able to take for granted.
Stormcrow said
If you want to see where the outsourcing will lead, look closely at NASA. NASA was where the rest of the government now is, 15 years ago.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
frecklescassie said
What I don’t get is …. how did the repubs convince people that privatizing was a good idea to begin with? Didn’t people realize this might happen?
MEC said
“What I don’t get is …. how did the repubs convince people that privatizing was a good idea to begin with?”
They promoted it as reducing the financial cost of government. Because taxes are the worst thing ever invented, dontchaknow? So horribly awful and evil that it’s better to have crumbling roads, bridges that fall down, sick and wounded veterans who get no health care, children who die for lack of basic medical treatments, crime rampant in the streets, crowds of homeless people, widespread unemployment, and all the other ills caused by the failure of the government to do its duty to “promote the general welfare” than to pay taxes sufficient to support government functions.
Charles said
MEC, it’s more than that. The Republicans systematically underfund programs. Serious problems develop in the programs. The quality of service they deliver falls. As experienced, dedicated employees leave, people with little experience or commitment join. Then, with the public furious about the decline in quality of service, a scandal comes to light.
Then the public is sold on the idea that government can’t do anything right.
Republicans are destroyers. If we could pay other countries to take them off our hands and put them in positions of power, we could rule the world.