GarveyBlog by Ed Garvey

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December 26, 2007
Keep your hand on your wallet!
If Paul Revere were living in Milwaukee he would ride through the city yelling "The privatizers are coming, the privatizers are coming!" And County Executive Scott Walker would shoot his horse.

As we watch the phenomenal theft taking place in Iraq through the privatization of the war from meals to mercenaries, the mind boggles at the thought of more privatization here and abroad. Fighting Bob would be appalled. Recall that he railed against the war profiteers in WWI and, by comparison, that was minor stuff.

The privatizers are more often than not the neocons who believe that there is no role for government other than protection of big business. They soften us up by announcing that the sale of our airports, highways, museums and parks will solve our financial problems, cut taxes, and secure our future. Problem is that they prove that old saw that a lie gets half-way around the world before the truth gets her boots on.

Welcome Scott Walker, responding to a suggestion the County sell golf courses, O'Donnell Park, the marinas on Lake Michigan, swimming pools and Mitchell airport. "To me, any of them is fair game." Whoa Nelly! All one need do is trace the recent history of the Public Museum in Milwaukee moving from a financially sound public entity to a near-bankrupt privatized one. The nonsense used to convince people that the Museum would do better in private hands? "Rich contributors are more likely to contribute to a private museum." Nonsense and double nonsense!

Selling Milwaukee's airport is back on the table. Amounts are floated--up to a billion dollars going to the county for the potential purchase. Not mentioned in the JS story is the obvious fact that no one will purchase the airport unless he can see a profit that would come from indirect taxes on airlines and passengers.

Walker wants some quick cash to prove that he is a competent executive and should be our next governor. Yikes! What could we get for Bascom Hall? The Capitol? The Dells?




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