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Tag: Privatization

Michigan Valuable Lesson Against Government Economic Efforts

By JGillman, Section News
Posted on Fri Jan 27, 2012 at 09:09:14 AM EST
Tags: Michigan, Privatization, Government, Economic Development, Trains, Lighthouses, Bridges, Mackinac Center (all tags)

Reposted From MTTM ~

Yesterday was Michigan's birthday.

Our state has undergone a great deal of change over the last 175 years, and today can serve well as a history lesson for the country and itself. Especially given the recent discussion with regard to government owned bridges, light rail, and other stimulus & economic development efforts funded with tax dollars, we should certainly note that some things never change.

The Mackinac center in 1998, published a piece that needs to be read again.

Below the fold.

(7 comments, 1031 words in story) Full Story

a look at how privatization worked well in Oxford

By tom gantert, Section News
Posted on Fri Jun 11, 2010 at 12:47:12 PM EST
Tags: privatization (all tags)

In the Oxford Community Schools this year, the classrooms were cleaned every other day due to attrition in the unionized ranks of the custodial staff. Starting next year, the classrooms will be cleaned every day, they will have nine extra custodians, and the school district will save $5 million over the next five years, according to school officials.

William Skilling, the Oxford superintendent, said ...To continue reading.. click here..

(1 comment) Comments >>

A Message To Our Legislators - Beware False Choices

One step forward and two steps back

By Nick, Section News
Posted on Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 06:38:17 AM EST
Tags: Detroit, Conyers, Cockrel, scandal, Bing, privatization, MSM (all tags)

The wife of embattled United States Congressman John Conyers (D-Detroit), who pled guilty in a federal court this week of accepting a bribe, may remain largely unremorseful but that hasn't stopped the Motor City from beginning to clean up her mess. Disappointingly, with Detroit it's far too often one step forward and then two steps back.

On the plus side, yesterday saw some decisive action from City Council President (and former Mayor) Ken Cockrel. After Mrs. Conyers submitted her official resignation he went ahead and began sweeping away the last vestiges of the Democrat's crooked operation, firing Sunceria Garrett, the aunt whom she'd recently given a fat city contract and declining to renew the contracts of four other Conyers staffers. The Detroit News:

Cockrel said his decision to terminate Garrett wasn't based on her relationship to Conyers, but hinged on cutting the budget.
"Frankly it was an unnecessary position," Cockrel said. "This was not a vacant position. It was filled."

Say what you will about Cockrel, the man has shown a willingness to make some tough personnel decisions (though I suspect these were relatively easy). Before leaving the Mayor's office Cockrel set in motion a budget savings plan that included hundreds of layoffs and reductions in pay for even more of the cities thousands of taxpayer funded bureaucrats.

Detroit, you'll remember, is currently running a budget deficit in the hundreds of millions of dollars while recent gargantuan layoffs in the auto industry have further crippled the tax base (and city "income" projections) for the upcoming fiscal year.

Alas, the monster financial storm engulfing the city doesn't seem to worry new mayor Dave Bing.

Read on...

(2 comments, 551 words in story) Full Story