Privatization = Power Grab??????

Gov. John Kasich's desire to privatize most state departments, agencies, and services might not be a good idea on many levels, according to a report in Bizjournals:


....The Public-Private Power Grab report from Good Jobs First said transferring state business recruitment functions to private agencies, as Michigan has done, is not the panacea its proponents claim. Instead, the report said the track record of states that have privatized their economic development functions are filled with examples of misuse of taxpayer funds, excessive executive bonuses, political interference, questionable subsidy awards and conflicts of interest.

“Rather than making economic development activities more effective, privatization is often little more than a power grab by governors and politically connected business interests,” Philip Mattera, research director of Good Jobs First, said in release.....

.....Kasich made privatizing the Ohio Department of Development a cornerstone of his successful gubernatorial campaign last year. Critical of the department’s efforts to attract and retain jobs in Ohio, he wants to replace it with a private-sector board of directors, comprised of industry experts and current or former executives, and a staff focused solely on bringing new businesses to Ohio and strengthening ones already here......

What if Kasich decides to sell off state buildings and then lease them back from companies?

 

What if Kasich decides that all the maintenance in the state owned buildings would be done by private companies, who would pay workers at the state minimum wage?  

 

What if Kasich decides that all state retirement systems must be managed by a certain private company instead of the current retirement boards?  

 

Would these contracts go to Republican campaign contributors?

 

Have we heard yet how much was raised and spent on the inaugural festivities?  How much was actually donated to charity???  When will we get that information?