Shamelessly, Walkerhas now asked Republican legislators to grant him the power to sell off everysingle publicly owned asset of the state of Wisconsin—all government buildings,university facilities, power plants, prisons, highways, even the Capitolitself.
The governor’s completelyoutrageous proposal is breathtaking in its audacity and publicirresponsibility.
Walker’s wealthypals would make out like bandits—exactly like bandits—not once, but twice.
They would reap bigprofits from what were mostly free or low-cost public facilities and any moneythe state received in return would most likely to go into percentage tax cutsthat overwhelmingly benefit, you guessed it, the wealthy.
The bill does noteven bother to identify all the state properties Walker could sell to any high-rollercampaign contributors of his choosing without taking competitive bids.
There’s a word forsuch a reckless idea, and it’s not conservatism. It’s corruption.
True conservativeswant to protect the assets of the state. Walker’s corrupt version would fillthe pockets of his richest political contributors while it increases the costof state services for every other taxpayer in the state.
Real estateintended to benefit the people of Wisconsin, for which taxpayers have spentbillions over decades, would be sold to private corporations free to jack upprices and make some really swell profits.
Republicans such asWalker have attacked government and talked up privatization for so long, peoplewho don’t think very deeply may truly no longer understand the crucialdifference between government and private enterprise. It’s profit.
Millions of dollarsin profit for those at the top have to be built into private, profit-makingoperations. To keep attracting private investors and paying enormous salariesto top executives, profit-making companies have to increase their profits everyquarter.
Unless companiescan keep increasing the number of products or services sold, the only otherways to increase profits are to raise prices or cut costs.
Private Prisons AreIllegal
Anyone whounderstands that can immediately see that selling off public assets so privatecompanies can wring profits out of them—and out of us—would be incrediblystupid.
Go down the list:
- Highways. How in the world would a private companymake money from owning state highways? The only way to make any money would beto charge the public to drive on their roads. Then, companies could furtherincrease profits by cutting maintenance.
Remember, evenpoliticians answerable to voters are so reluctant to raise taxes that our carsbounce out of control when driving over huge sinkholes and our bridges keepfalling down. Imagine the exorbitant tolls and terrifying conditions if roadswere owned by companies whose only interest was increasing profits.
- Prisons. There’sa reason why private prisons are illegal in Wisconsin. State leaders from bothparties recognized long ago that private prisons profit from recidivism.
The primaryinterest of private prisons is to keep high occupancy rates. The higher theoccupancy rate, the more profits soar.
It’s not in thefinancial interest of the Corrections Corporation of America to rehabilitateoffenders to hold down legitimate jobs, making our communities safer. In fact,the more dangerous people are when they’re released from prison into ourneighborhoods, the better for the prison corporation. That means they’ll comeback faster.
- University Facilities.For decades, student fees financed student unions for the benefitof the students. Taxpayers and alumni built sports facilities and subsidized anenormous college sports industry that pours billions into universities.Philanthropists kept research facilities, classrooms and dormitories up to datein exchange for concrete immortality.
So why not sell offall that gleaming real estate and those lucrative profit centers toprofit-hungry companies that can start raising rents and price-gouging ourstudents and universities?
- Power Plants. You’llnever guess who’s been buying up public power plants around the country. Wherehave we heard of the Koch brothers?
Oh, now weremember. David and Charles Koch are the right-wing billionaires who spentmillions to elect Walker governor and to help him defeat all thoseWisconsinites who wanted to recall him.
The Koch brotherspublicly deny any interest in buying the state’s power plants and then soakingWisconsin taxpayers by selling power back to them at inflated prices.
It’s a good thingwe can believe whatever the Koch brothers say because they’re known as suchhonorable, highly principled businessmen.
- Government Buildings.Boy, that sure would’ve solved all that unpleasantness caused bythe public making a big fuss at the Capitol about Republicans rewriting laws todestroy public rights that existed for decades.
If the Capitol wereprivate property, the owners would be free to throw out anybody they wanted.
We could rid theCapitol once and for all of bellyaching public rabble and all those Democraticlegislators who run around calling Walker corrupt for selling out Wisconsin towealthy, private interests.
