Having lost by just one vote to Jim Arnold in the March Democratic caucus to fill the late Sen. Anita Bowser’s seat, I was particularly disappointed to read our current state senator say, “there hasn’t been enough time to make a justifiable conclusion” (H-A, 6/30/07) on whether the lease of the Indiana Toll Road was the right thing to do.
Now more than ever, we need elected officials in Indianapolis willing to stand up and say “no” to every effort by this governor and his colleagues to sell off parts of state government. There’s a reason the U.S. House Transportation Committee just two months ago sent the governor a letter saying it was opposed to such sales or leases of public assets that obviously don’t serve the public interest.
Privatizing what should be government functions hasn’t worked well on the federal level, much less the state. The New York Times said it well on Jan. 16 when it editorialized that “full inquiries and public hearings are vital if the rich and shadowy world of privatization is ever to be plumbed for the scandal it is nurturing.”
At the state level, Texans admit their privatization of welfare services is a failure. The $900 million contract with Accenture will be ended two years earlier than planned with the highly respected Austin Statesman saying that “state employees are better suited for administrative functions and privatization is no guarantee that taxpayers are going to save money.” In Florida, even Republican lawmakers who once supported privatization schemes there are said by the Feb. 17, 2005, St. Petersburg Times “to be disillusioned by the reality.”
With this governor hoping to sell off or lease other state assets like the Hoosier Lottery, we need state legislators willing to stand up and take the long view of the public interest. That’s why if I am successful in my campaign for state Senate, the voters can count on me as one who will fight privatization tooth and nail.
DEBRA BIRKHOLZ
La Porte
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