Mitch Daniels
Privatization is a dirty word. It does not work and is often a way to line the pockets of business cronies. There I said it. Stephen Goldsmith did it for years and was a national figure for his privatization efforts until voters realized his policies failed. Now, I am not accusing our current governor of having any friends in Spain or Australia, but I do remember his campaign promises:
"My first day as governor, I'll stop hiring people elsewhere to do work Hoosiers can do just as well," Daniels says. "We need to keep more of our tax dollars here in Indiana, circulating in our economy. It's not sentimental -- it's just good business."
source
Of course we all know about the toll road to the Australian-Spanish company. It's even made national news. Honestly, I doubt there is an Indiana or even American counterpart to that company, but let's look at the other privatization efforts. The list reveals out of state companies and campaign donors.
FSSA Likely To Be Privatized Through Out-Of-State Company: Daniels said that even though the top contract contenders are from out-of-state, he believes the deal will save taxpayers' money.
Oh, and then there was the privatized prison where Daniels chose a Florida firm to run it.
Privatizing the New Castle Correctional Facility is off to an ignominious start. Indiana selected a company that overcharged Florida several million dollars in running two prisons. The fact the contractor made contributions to Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Indiana GOP, and not to Democrats, only makes this deal look worse than it should.
In May, state officials hired Pennsylvania-based Liberty Healthcare Corp. to manage the (Fort Wayne Development Centercenter –- a $3 million contract over 18 months.
So there it is, your Indiana government is for sale to the highest out of state bidder and/or campaign contributor. It is not quite what Governor Daniels promised when he made the campaign promise to "Buy Indiana", but perhaps he'll lose his next election just like Indiana's last great privatizer did.
"My first day as governor, I'll stop hiring people elsewhere to do work Hoosiers can do just as well," Daniels says. "We need to keep more of our tax dollars here in Indiana, circulating in our economy. It's not sentimental -- it's just good business."
source
Of course we all know about the toll road to the Australian-Spanish company. It's even made national news. Honestly, I doubt there is an Indiana or even American counterpart to that company, but let's look at the other privatization efforts. The list reveals out of state companies and campaign donors.
FSSA Likely To Be Privatized Through Out-Of-State Company: Daniels said that even though the top contract contenders are from out-of-state, he believes the deal will save taxpayers' money.
Oh, and then there was the privatized prison where Daniels chose a Florida firm to run it.
Privatizing the New Castle Correctional Facility is off to an ignominious start. Indiana selected a company that overcharged Florida several million dollars in running two prisons. The fact the contractor made contributions to Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Indiana GOP, and not to Democrats, only makes this deal look worse than it should.
In May, state officials hired Pennsylvania-based Liberty Healthcare Corp. to manage the (Fort Wayne Development Centercenter –- a $3 million contract over 18 months.
So there it is, your Indiana government is for sale to the highest out of state bidder and/or campaign contributor. It is not quite what Governor Daniels promised when he made the campaign promise to "Buy Indiana", but perhaps he'll lose his next election just like Indiana's last great privatizer did.
posted by torporindy at 2/09/2006
2 Comments:
Excellent post!
bravo! More people need to pay attention to this, because it's the same ol' same ol' from the GOP. All those years to come up with a new direction for Indiana, as they claimed they had, and all they have is Goldsmith part 2.
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