Government haters running and screwing government

[SHRED]

The rightwing has been badmouthing our government for a longtime...and now they are in charge of it.
It should be painfully obvious by now that you DO NOT put a group in charge of government who's ideology is counter public service.

Ask yourself: What are you getting for your tax dollars besides war, corporate (oil) subsidies, and welfare for the rich?

I work for a City in the Public Works Department.
We are hard working and understaffed.

It is a myth that contracting to the private sector or "privatization" saves tax dollars. Contractors love to screw us and see dollar signs in their heads when they sign up to do work for "Uncle Sucker".

Privatization is a Repub wet dream and unregulated privatization is a Libertarian's wet dream. Both of these absolutely screw the tax payer.
I see it, first hand, at this small level and can only imagine at the Halliburton levels what is happening..

[acmejack]

1. Not With Their Money

This can't be the home of a 47-year-old practicing physician. It sits in the middle of a poor East Austin neighborhood, fitting in nicely with the other slightly tattered rent houses on its block. The front porch steps could use some paint, and the wood siding would benefit from an overhaul.

The house's plain interior contains a dining table with six mix-and-mix chairs. A garage-sale brown sofa with cat-scratched arms anchors the living room. It's the home of Dr. Paula Rogge, an emergency room physician. A house where prostitutes have solicited visiting friends before they could get out of their cars. Where Rogge's bedroom was converted from a large storage closet. And where her schoolteacher roommate chips in with half the rent.

Rogge's 1980 Toyota, parked on the street, is paid for. She has no mutual funds, IRA, or retirement plan. Today she wears the same clothes she wore yesterday, along with worn, black basketball shoes. Once, while serving as a doctor at the Eastside Family Practice, she asked that her salary be lowered to $100 a week.

Rogge calls herself middle class. She makes enough money working temporary ER jobs around the state to pay for trips home to Illinois, her graduate film school work at UT, and even a student-movie postproduction party.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol18/issue32/xtra.wartax.html

[acmejack]

2. Can you read this and not be inspired?

She knows what to do about it!

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

3. I agree with every word you write.

They want to dismantle the government and sell off the pieces to connected friends who will then proceed to bleed the rest of us dry.
When your little local municipality decides it's just too "costly" to run municipal water services - WATCH OUT!!!

[SHRED]

4. Fortunately they won't

Our water division is self sustaining and then some from water and sewer fees.

Our city has investigated privatization overall and backed away in horror at the elevated costs.
I work in a very Republican city and even they realize that privatizing would mean suicide to the budget.

[Divernan]

5. Privatization=s adding a layer of profit & removing oversight.

It's an invitation to abuse, cost over rides and corruption. And the GOP/businesses laugh at the stupidity of all the taxpaying dummies who don't see that.