Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Privitizing Public Assets - Infrastucture

https://theintercept.com/2017/06/06/private-toll-operators-love-trump-infrastructure-plan/

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/06/trump-using-failed-australian-asset-recycling-justify-mass-privatizations.html

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/10/scam-alert-trumps-1tn-infrastructure-plan

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/06/10/flin-j10.html

Looks to me like everybody benefits from privatization except the public!  But that is intent of the scheme structure.  The intent is so obvious that it is written on the wall.  So was the housing boom based on low interest rates and no money down that set up the situation for Big Finance to gain at the public expense as a function of the scheme that Big Finance created.

Who will defend the public from this Big Money, Big Business Private Enterprise attack on the domain of public assets, our assets, until they can swindle us out of them and make money.

Big business profits over public interest benefit.

It is the American way.

Who will fight this as a defender of the Public.

Our politicians?  Why would they fight it.  All we give them is the vote.  They don't get money from the public, except for Bernie.

It is a war of attrition.  Big Money can spend more to win than Little Money from the general public.

Special Interest lobbyists and ALEC are the agent of Big Money at Federal, State and Local levels of governance.

Where do the foot soldiers to fight for the public come from?

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/06/14/infr-j14.html


 

What is in Trump’s $200 billion infrastructure plan?

By Gabriel Black
14 June 2017
Trump’s infrastructure plan was released late last month as part of his proposed 2018 budget. The vague proposal, which according to his administration will be worked out in detail by the fall of this year, will lead to the mass sell-off of public infrastructure throughout the country while simultaneously slashing the transportation budget.

Zinke moving dozens of senior Interior officials in shake-up:  https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141801310  Looks to me like clearing the decks of obstructions prior to going into battle to give away public land to private enterprise.  A 5th of the SES senior staff removed!  It is a Government Service position.  Can't replace with political appointees.  These positions are subject to Civil Service hiring rules.  The objectivity and fairness of implementing these rules can however be manipulated to do selective hiring or promotion of chosen toadies.  Who does the hiring?  Hire from the inside those that seek career enhancement at the expense of Department mission?  OR: Hire from the outside those that will comply with whatever Zinke wants.  I put my bets on mostly from the outside....but that is difficult to do.

Zinke looks like a good guy.  Maybe he is clearing the Department of dead wood? 

 http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN19A1KG

"Zinke issued his first major recommendation to President Trump on one of the monuments last week, a reduction in the size of the 1.35 million acre Bears Ears National Monument in Utah created by Obama in his last days in office. [L1N1J917V]
Zinke told Reuters he is likely to take a similar approach to the other monuments, including the 4,913 square mile Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of Massachusetts – which is roughly three times the size of Montana’s Glacier National Park.
It was created by Obama last September to protect whales and newly discovered coral formations.
During meetings with New England-based marine scientists, commercial fishermen and National Parks Service employees last week, Zinke argued that the Interior Department now makes around $15.5 billion per year less in revenue from offshore drilling than it did in 2008 due to Obama-era restrictions."
  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/interior-cuts-4000-employees_us_5949a5dee4b00cdb99cb247d?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009 

Zinke is emerging as a foe.  A proponent of privatizing.  Another example of putting people in charge of a Department that are basically against what the Department does as a service to the public.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ryan-zinke-fossil-fuels_us_594befdce4b01cdedf018edd?kpb&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

 

 

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