What should be privatized?

A big hell no on police and fire services. That's damning millions of poor folk to losing the possessions and lives they do have. I don't think it would ever happen, but even if was proposed it would be the douchiest of douchebag moves.

However, I do whole-heartedly believe that the postal system should be privatized. We are losing so many tax payer dollars to the poorly run antiquated system that its not funny.

We live in a digital age, it would make more sense for the government to streamline the system and offer services in that manner if they continue at all.

I gotta wonder how much those state parks are gonna cost to visit. Why would any private industry take on such an endeavor and not expect some sort of profit from it?

The way I see it is if the public at large benefits from the program either by no cost or little cost to the public, the government should run it. If the program is expensive, the benefit must be larger. Thus, the free rider program. We should not have privatized militaries, privatized police, fire, etc.

We should not have a privatized school program. The federal and state governments should have control over public schools in order to properly educate all children, regardless of profit.

I believe that right now our most important goal should be to revitalize our infrastructure. New roads, new bridges, new schools. We need high speed rail yesterday, run by the government to get costs down for the consumer. Public transportation is a really important issue in my opinion. People should be able to travel wherever they wish at a low cost.

I think health care is the line. My problem with health care is that while I understand the concerns of people who do not have it, I'm still incredibly not convinced that it's on the same level. I see the health care industry the same way I see the oil industry. It should be heavily regulated rather than taken over by the government or provided by the government. I am still not convinced that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are on the same level as health care in general. To me, those programs are much more legitimate because of who they protect.

I believe in a social safety net, but only to a certain extent. I don't believe Americans are entitled to anything other than the rights provided to them by the Constitution. To me, there's a difference between a right and a privilege.

The Post Office is self-sufficient, and is one of the best run in the world.

So in lieu of taxes to pay for park upkeep and use, they'll institute a fee to use the park? No thanks.

While that might be true, it's in need of a major overhaul.

The only thing that comes to mind is the Postal Service. When you think about it, how often do you send your package via FedEx or UPS? Half of the postal system is already privatized.

A large number of state parks charge you a fee anyways.

I was only commenting as a NJ resident and what Gov. Christie is proposing. I've never had to pay to visit any parks around me and it would suck to suddenly have to start doing so. Same with vehicle inspection.

If I'm looking to send or receive something time sensitive, I'll go to FedEx or UPS. I've been burned way too many times by USPS to use them like that.

If time is no concern, I'll use USPS.

USPS needs to nix Saturday service to save some cash. Raising stamp prices every few months is like putting a band-aid on a corpse.

Got ya! Paying to get into parks is the normal in most of the bigger parks in Indiana
The same when I lived in South Carolina for a small while.

Im going to talk out of my ass (beinga foreigner) and say that maybe privatizing ecological/preservation programs could be a good idea.
Major corporation could provide funds and sponsorships for the maintenance and advances of programs to protect/breed endangered species or ecosystems, and generate a lot of good publicity for them that way.
Here in Santiago the freeways are mostly privatized and it works really well, but small steps in other areas if you ask me.
A good idea ive heard is to have corporations "sponsor" poor areas or settlements; basically fund the basic needs/services of a rural, poor or disaster affected area.

No offense and maybe you can enlighten me, but I can't see how any of that would work.

The Post Office still fills a valuable role notably that it is an affordable option and it covers everywhere in the country, specifically rural areas where FedEx and UPS just don't go. They don't go there because it doesn't pay to go there... a factor the USPS does not take in to account.

Yeah, don't touch the USPS. When it takes a week and a half (or more) to receive a package sent with 'Five Day Shipping' from UPS, and two days for 'Five Day Shipping' from USPS, I'm going to have to say that the government run system is working better than the private one.

I live in Pa. We privatized Juvie prisons and we got the "Cash for Kids" Scandal involving judges taking bribes from the contractor

-I think liquor stores should be private.

-I think that arms makers should be government run. It would reduce the military-industrial complex. I would nix private contractors or at least subject them to oversite by the military including the uniform code of military justice.

-Banks. Private, but regulated as hard as in Canada (which is already out of a recession thanks to banking regulations).

-Health Insurance. A Public Option that covers guys who high risk like me. Keep the regular insurance companies for lower risk patients.

Basically I'm against private industry taking over anything run by OCP in the movie, Robocop (Prisons, Police Departments, Military).

I second this big time. Then again, we do have one of the most Puritanical states in the nation when it comes to alcohol. It's getting better, but until we start seeing beer and wine in grocery stores, I have no hope for the Commonwealth.

I'm sorry, this always confuses the crap out of me. State run liquor stores? Have private liquor stores and tax the crap out of it.

The amount of taxpayer money that has been funneled into these things over the decades is being thrown away in what essentially amounts to giveaways to private companies. Those of you who don't like socialism should be up in arms about this. Once again, the public pays, the private companies profit.

Wait, so liquor stores are not private?

They are private in every state except for PA

In some states they aren't.

So they are ran by the state then? I had no idea this was the case.

I think marijuana law enforcement should be privatized. Once corporations got involved in the economics of it legalization would happen in no time at all.

Also I would like the penal system to be privatized so we can one day have gladiatorial reality TV.



I second this question. Are liquor stores government-run just in Pennsylvania or are there other states or municipalities?

The idea of having to purchase my hooch from The Man sends shivers down my spine. Do they keep track of who you are and what/how much you buy? I bought some ephedrine from a convenience store a year or two ago and not only did I have to show ID, I had to fill out a log book with my personal information. So I listed my name as "Fuck You," my address as "1313 Lickmyass Lane," and my telephone number as "1-800-EAT-SHIT."

Washington is one in which liquor stores are run by the state.

I don't follow this subject closely, so I've always wondered... On what basis (explicit and implicit) do state governments control the sale of liquor?

General police powers.

But it would have worked for OCP and Delta City!

No. Why would they?

What does being asinine at a private convenience store have to do with anything?

Privatizing liquor stores seems to have served no purpose. Ostensibly it was done to 'create jobs', but prices went up, selection went down (or not, depending on what the owner decides to carry), and working at one changed from a reasonable job with benefits and union representation and all that good stuff to a minimum wage Mcjob. Since closing times changed from 10 pm to something like 1 or 2 am it's hard to see how it wouldn't facilitate more hold-ups as well.

Registries have also been privatized here in the last couple of decades. Now I pay twice what I used to to register my car, but it is no more registered than it used to be when the government charged me $40. I pay more, but I don't get more; why is this good?

Privatizing a service is all good when there is economic competition. Without competition then it's about squeezing out every bit of profit that they can.

It's a double edge sword.

No matter what happens I pay for the registration proper and some admin fees on top of that. There's nothing they can do to win my business because they don't and can't innovate or improve things in any way. A driver's license is a driver's license, a vehicle registration is a vehicle registration. Also, the cost is pre-determined; no matter where I go I'm paying the same price for the same thing. I didn't see a point to privatizing the service when it happened, and I still don't.

The asshats in the Canadian government have decided that long form (i.e., detailed) census data should become voluntary.

Of course, the shameless Fraser Institute kicks in with, "No more free ride on census data".