Security and law enforcement involve the power of the state, and that power should only be given to employees of the state.
]]>And… not to be impolite about it… how’s that privatized Post Office thingie working out? I know it’s not on the order of mercenary armies, but the GOPers (particularly the Bushists) seem determined to prove in every way possible that privatizing a lot of functions that are public for good reason (the military, for example) just introduces external motivations contrary to the public interest (read: obscene profits). When privatizing becomes a matter of religion, we find “religious” people like Erik Prince in charge of things of which they shouldn’t even be allowed to be in the same vicinity.
If any good can come out of this wretched series of episodes with Blackwater, it will be the reminder… actually acted upon… of the notion that some things simply cannot be privatized without detriment to the public good.
]]>There are plenty of functions that can be outsourced, or consolidated, but security and law enforcement aren’t among them. Some things require qualified professionals and the government has little control over hiring and firing after a bid is awarded to a private firm.
Congress needs to act now or the problem is just going to get worse. These people haven’t hired adequate staff for any of the regulatory agencies and the lack of people shows. They had to be forced to hire people for the Border Patrol and the Immigration Service. It’s just pathetic.
All you can do is hope for the best, and expect the worst. At this point there isn’t much space between those two positions.
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