An item from the folks at In The Public Interest.  There is a line below that harkens to the commentary that I posted to John Watson’s entry on La intersección de las ESA y el aprendizaje digital (parte 2).

“Every public dollar given to a private company that has a profit margin, or returns to investors, or pays high executive compensation, or spends money on lobbying is money that’s no going into the service that they have taken over.”

The next two lines are also important – because it also correlates with a sentiment that I commonly express.

“They can cut wages, hours, staff, benefits, and pensions, having a significant impact on the public service and the community surrounding it.  That’s why when a company comes along and says they can perform a function more efficiently, we always have to ask what they mean by efficiency.”

Folks should know that I often say that when you have corporations directly involved in public education, the student becomes the widget and the corporate goal is to maximize profit per widget.

El boletín semanal para personas que quieren que el gobierno trabaje para todos nosotros, no sólo para unos pocos ricos. Ver este boletín en línea. ¿No eres suscriptor? Registrate aquí. Privatización de todo on the Cheap The audio version of my book La privatización de todo is celebrating the one year anniversary of its appearance (which is funny because the first year anniversary traditional gift is…paper; yes, it’s also available in paperback) and the publishers are offering a deal: 70 por ciento de descuento. Not bad. Usually, privatization costs a LOT more. And that’s sort of the point of the book, which Publishers Weekly called “a persuasive takedown of the idea that the private sector knows best.” Privatization costs you money—and power. Every public dollar given to a private company that has a profit margin, or returns to investors, or pays high executive compensation, or spends money on lobbying is money that’s no going into the service that they have taken over. They can cut wages, hours, staff, benefits, and pensions, having a significant impact on the public service and the community surrounding it. That’s why when a company comes along and says they can perform a function more efficiently, we always have to ask what they mean by efficiency. Listen to—or read—about Chicago’s sell-off of its parking meters, an incredibly short-term solution that has caused long-term loss of revenue and—more importantly—it cost the city its ability to make vital decisions about urban planning and creating vibrant life in its neighborhood. The book is full of such examples. Privatization costs our society in broken social bonds and undermining democracy. It turns citizens into consumers and turns the life of a community into a marketplace. Nowhere is this clearer than the many attempts to privatize education. Privatization sets up a system of private privilege that drains the public schools of funding and broad support, exacerbating the inequalities that are already part of our society. It treats education as a consumable product, not as an indispensable public good that is necessary for a functioning democracy. El libro es un argumento que pretende reivindicar la idea de lo público y reivindicar a nuestros gobiernos como herramientas de lo público. Es un llamado a utilizar la conversación pública y el debate para definir los bienes públicos y garantizar que esos bienes públicos permanezcan bajo el control público democrático. I hope you can take a look—or a listen. donald cohen Directora Ejecutiva tú donaciones hacer posible nuestro trabajo.

En el interés público 1305 Franklin St., Suite 501 Oakland, CA 94612 Estados Unidos