The “ALEC Publicopoly Board” on the ALEC website gives the option to “Select your game square” to find out how to privatize education, prisons, health services, wastewater treatment, even state government.
ALEC claims “privatization is a useful tool that has been proven successful around the world.” Successful, perhaps, for those reaping the benefits of continual U.S. outsourcing.
Today, the HuffingtonPost started a new feature with Dylan Ratigan called “America For Sale”:
While the trend is worldwide, privatization of public infrastructure only came to America en masse in the 2000s. It is worth discussing, because where it has happened it has sparked deep and intense anger.
In Chicago, it's the sale of parking meters to the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi. In Indiana, it's the sale of the northern toll road to a Spanish and Australian joint venture. In Wisconsin it's public health and food programs, in California it's libraries. It's water treatment plants, schools, toll roads, airports, and power plants. It's Amtrak. There are revolving doors of corrupt politicians, big banks, and rating agencies.There’s no roll of the dice here. They've clearly stacked the odds in their favor.
