Republican Strategy of Privatization

“Prison Firm Donates to Governor” (Nov. 26) calls attention to a strategy that Republicans are already pursuing in Florida and expect to have a big payoff in California. Privatization usually operates to drive down wages and benefits for employees and to generate profits for the private firms and their executives. In turn, the executives of these private firms become a permanent donor base for the Republican Party because their business and profits depend on the Republican Party remaining in power. This strategy explains in large part the Republican mantra that the private sector is always more efficient than government. The Republican Party’s hidden agenda is more about securing political dominance than a concern for maximizing efficiency.

Julian Roberts

Redlands