the long-term consequences are far more disturbing. As Wedel argues, deals like the one in Chicago go well beyond simple government contracting. Private interests are increasingly eating up not just public assets or functions, but also the public power that comes with those assets, power to make policy in a way that good government demands: with transparency, accountability and with the interest of the public front and center. With each lease signed, pieces of official government disappear, as does your right as a taxpaying citizen to control what should be part of the public sphere, now and well into the future. // In resisting a seemingly easy fix, they’ll preserve for future generations the power to chart their own course, and protect the public interest without the distorting incentives that come from private control.
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OnTheCommons.org » Want to Buy a Bridge Cheap?
