Thread: NYTimes-Privating Public Infrastructure

August 27, 2008
Running Out of Money, Cities Are Debating the Privatization of Public Infrastructure
By JENNY ANDERSON
Cleaning up road kill and maintaining runways may not sound like cutting-edge investments. But banks and funds with big money seem to think so.

Reeling from more exotic investments that imploded during the credit crisis, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, the Carlyle Group, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse are among the investors who have amassed an estimated $250 billion war chest — much of it raised in the last two years — to finance a tidal wave of infrastructure projects in the United States and overseas.

Their strategy is gaining steam in the United States as federal, state and local governments previously wary of private funds struggle under mounting deficits that have curbed their ability to improve crumbling roads, bridges and even airports with taxpayer money.

With politicians like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California warning of a national infrastructure crisis, public resistance to private financing may start to ease.

“Budget gaps are starting to increase the viability of public-private partnerships,â€

Once again this will put long time American workers at risk. Private companies replacing local,state and county workers who live in the communities they serve. Some to old to find anything but"Welcome to Walmart" jobs when let go. the odds are the contractor and subcontractor
will hire IAs to do jobs Americans will do. Under the misconception that this will save the taxpayers money.

Our infrastructure ought never be sold. Tax dollars paid for this so it belongs to WE THE PEOPLE. Perhaps the those collecting the taxes should quit being so wasteful and perhaps they would be able to have plenty of money to deal with these issues. But instead they set up budgets and encourage the monies to be spent and if they are not spent, they lower the budget for the following year and those who receive the money don't want to deal with less so they do all they can to spend and then their budget is increased each year.

Here is a thought, give a percentage of the savings by each department as an incentive. I bet they would figure out real fast how to quit being so wasteful.

While they are at it, they can ease up on all of the social programs too.