The Problem With ‘Public-Private Partnerships’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 6, 2013 When a plan to construct the first modern privatized highway in the United States did little to ease congestion, blocked residents from making further improvements and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Californians had the opportunity to learn a lesson about the folly of privatizing transportation projects. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Big Money Is Behind Charter Schools in Washington State

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Oct 26, 2012 Voters in Washington state will have a chance to direct public funds toward private bank accounts if they adopt an initiative to create charter schools this November. Who are the bajillionaires behind the campaign? Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

More Cuts and Pain Coming to Spain

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jul 11, 2012 In exchange for a eurozone bailout of $123 billion, Spain’s conservative government Wednesday slashed $80 billion from its budget over the next two and a half years through a combination of sales tax hikes and spending cuts. That’s in addition to $92 billion dropped by the country's previous administration. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Louisiana Moving to Privatize Education

Staff / Truthdig Jun 4, 2012 After attempts to partially privatize Social Security under President George W. Bush proved fruitless, Republicans have taken aim at the next government-run industry they would like to see move from the public sector to the private: education. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Student Loan Shuffle

By Marian Wang, ProPublica Apr 24, 2012 Since last fall, one million borrowers have had their federal student loans randomly assigned to new loan-servicing companies, all nonprofits or subsidiaries of nonprofit organizations, thanks to a little-known provision in the 2010 healthcare overhaul. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Locking Down an American Workforce

By Steve Fraser and Joshua B. Freeman, TomDispatch Apr 20, 2012 Prisoners, whose ranks increasingly consist of those for whom the legitimate economy has found no use, make up a virtual brigade within the reserve army of the unemployed whose ranks have ballooned along with the U.S. incarceration rate. Dig deeper ( 15 Min. Read )

Public-Sector Banks: From Black Sheep to Global Leaders

By Ellen Brown, Truthout Mar 8, 2012 Conventional wisdom holds that government bureaucrats are bad businesspeople. But around the world, the many countries with strong public banking sectors generally have strong, stable economies. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Private Cops to Replace Public Ones in British Counties

Staff / Truthdig Mar 4, 2012 The relentless privatization of everything continues in the U.K., where local governments are offering private security companies £1.5 billion ($2.4 billion) over seven years to conduct services previously carried out by police. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Leaked Email Suggests Secret Indictment of WikiLeaks Founder

Staff / Truthdig Mar 1, 2012 Internal emails disclosed by Anonymous and WikiLeaks suggest that Stratfor, a private intelligence firm working with the U.S. Justice Department, has information about a confidential “sealed indictment” for the arraignment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Internal emails disclosed by Anonymous and WikiLeaks suggest that Stratfor, a private intelligence firm, has information about a “sealed indictment” for the arraignment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jeb Bush’s Digital Drive Against Public Schools

Staff / Truthdig Dec 11, 2011 Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is leading the bipartisan push to digitize American education. In and out of office, he’s helped develop a national model that funnels taxpayer funds to private companies, sucker punches public employees and unions and sets him up for election as a champion of education reform. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Billions of Taxpayer Dollars Wasted on Private Contractors

Staff / Truthdig Sep 14, 2011 A study conducted by the Project for Government Oversight (POGO) found that on average the U.S. government pays private contractors more than twice what it pays federal workers for a number of public services. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Indignados’ Protest in Mexico City

Staff / Truthdig Sep 12, 2011 After Mexican President Felipe Calderon's fifth state of the nation speech last week, more than 50,000 people gathered in the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, to decry policies that have destroyed unions, privatized essential public industries, enriched a small elite and killed more than 50,000 people in the nation's drug war. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )