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Comment by Kenneth Stretcher on January 17, 2012 at 23:16

Even the champions of privatization who run Arizona are having second thoughts about a decision made a couple of years ago to sell that state’s Capitol building to a private entity, Mother Jones reports. It turns out that despite whatever the cash-out did for that year’s budget, it’s expensive to pay rent on the building where the Legislature holds sessions. This is beginning to resemble an episode of “Pawn Stars”:

State governments have taken a number of different steps to balance their books in recent years. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (remember him?) proposed a new tax on strip clubs, for example, and a Utah state rep. suggested saving $60 million per year by abolishing the 12th grade. But no proposal struck as much metaphorical gold as Arizona's decision to sell off the state capitol (and a whole bunch of other state properties, such as maximum security prisons) for $735 million in 2009. Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed off on the deal, and the state now leases the House and Senate chambers from a private real estate company at a considerable long-term cost.But now, presumably still a little embarrassed by the whole episode, presented with the unfamiliar feeling of cash on hand, and rapidly approaching the state's 100th birthday, Brewer wants the Arizona capitol back in the hands of Arizonans. Here's the Yuma Sun: The move will cost the state $105 million out of its current budget surplus. Brewer press aide Matthew Benson said the state has the cash.Benson acknowledged the state actually got only $81 million for the state House, the Senate and the nine-story executive tower that includes Brewer's office when it negotiated a "sale-leaseback" arrangement in 2010..."Most of our Capitol complex, including the building we gather in today, is not ours,'' Brewer said in her State of the State speech delivered in the House building. "So ... to make all of our Capitol truly ours once again, I'm asking that you send me a bill by Statehood Day that allows me to buy back the Capitol.''  Mother Jones goes on to characterize the sale of the Arizona Capitol as “perhaps the greatest drunken eBay transaction of all time, except in this case there was no booze involved,” but says buying it back “isn't a terrible idea.” It then goes into a remarkable account of how sub-par the building is, thanks to lack of funds when the state was still a territory, making one wonder what kind of insider sweetheart deal prompted anyone to buy the thing in the first place:

Comment by Kenneth Stretcher on January 16, 2012 at 15:58

I am convinced that the sure-fire way to end privatization of governmental entities is to organize the employees of the contractors in order to force wages up which will raise costs and make contracting out less affordable to the governmental entities.

Comment by Joe Balkis on July 17, 2011 at 18:50

The next monthly meeting will be on Monday, August 1st, at 7:00 PM, at 77 W. Washington, 4th
Floor.
www.CTAriders.org
Press Release
http://www.ctariders.org/PPP.html
July 15, 2011
For Information:
Charles Paidock, Secretary, (312) 714-7790 cpaidock@hotmail.com
Harry Brooks (773) 731-0608 hrry_brooks@yahoo.com
Kevin Peterson (773) 896-8126 transitcatt@hotmail.com

Transit Group Says PPPs Are a Bad and Horrible Idea

CTA Group Wants Governor to Stop the
Public to Private Conversion of Transit

Citizens Taking Action, an organization comprised of transit dependent riders, is raising issue with Governor Quinn, seeking a veto of a law (HB 1091, SB 146) which passed in the state legislation enabling public-private partnerships (PPP) for public transportation projects. Private entities would have control over the infrastructure, they claim, and untimately the operation as well, of public transit. The group is concerned that CTA would revert back to collection of private companies more concerned about making money than providing a public service for passengers. As transit dependent riders, they say the state should stop and seriously reconsider turning over a major public asset.

Charles Paidock Secretary of the organization, said that “You don’t rent public transit from some guy who wants to make money, which is what this amounts to. Given the decades-long time frame of many of these deals and schemes, and their impact on people’s lives, means that mistakes in this area will not be small. PPPs are sold as a way of avoiding traditional tax funding and appropriation. In the process you also lose control, perhaps more than you anticipated or planned. The Government Accountability Office studied the approach, and warned that there is no such thing as free money.”

Kevin Peterson, who studies current transit routes, said: "That this is a bad and horrible idea is an understatement. CTA was originally formed because the private companies were a miserable failure, and all went bankrupt. For us to go back to that will result in massive service cuts and huge, and I mean it, huge increases in fares because these companies are trying to make a profit. Lower ridership routes would be eliminated because they won't turn a profit.





Harry Brooks, another member of the group, stated that: "Any privatization of public transit would be a total nightmare. A few years ago private companies took over the travel information center. Good luck in getting any directions about how to get around these days. I hope you make it back home after you wander lost around the city."

Comment by Andy Funnell on July 17, 2011 at 8:58

Algeria. Assassination attempt on SNAPAP leader Rachid Malaoui http://ning.it/pBw5ID

Comment by Donghwan Ko on March 21, 2011 at 16:43

Please support irregular workers struggle in South Korea. Now one of 15 dismissal irregular workers is hunger struggling 18 days in front of Korea Sports Promotion Foundation(KSPO), which is public corporation. Their demands are reinstement and recognition of democratic labor union. They dismissed 3 years ago, but KSPO ignore continuosly their demands. KSPO are saying because of government order management can't accept worker's demands. Now government really hate affiliate of KCTU. Therefore member of KCTU's demand can't be acceptable to government and government owned public corporation. KSPO recently is trying to host winter Olympic 2018 in Pyeong-Chang. I think it's not proper to host Olympic like these kind of country doing unfair practice to worker and labor union. We need much support from you around world. Thanks to read my story.

Comment by kevin mcnamara on February 19, 2011 at 17:46

http://www.unionbook.org/group/solidaritywithwisconsinworkers
public service workers in wisconsin usa being threatened with loss of collective bargaining rights that they have had for 50+ years

Comment by Don Sutherland on October 14, 2010 at 22:38

South Australian public servants rise in anger against their state Labor governments cuts to public services : click here

Comment by Gary McDonagh on September 5, 2010 at 14:05

Like most public sector workers our pay and conditions are being "updated" by Northants County Council (England). The difficulty is that the idea behind the review is good and called the Single Status Agreement - to ensure equality of pay. The Council has taken the opportunity to lower the pay bands and claim they are only carrying out the Single Status Agreement!