Privatizing Infrastructure
by digby
Matt Stoller wrote a very thought provoking essay in Politico yesterday about the infrastructure question, arguing that not only have we given up on public infrastructure but that we’re now in the process of privatizing the crumbling remains of what we already have. (I think I was first struck by this when I saw the baseball parks, our national pastime, being “licensed” for use by brand names — the most infamous being, of course, Enron Field.) But according to Stoller, this is happening in a much more systematic way than anyone realizes and it’s reflective of the greater underlying philosophical shift of what he calls the Reagan-Volcker era of “low taxes, low regulations, low pay, low spending and high finance.” It’s interesting stuff.
There may be a sort of light at the end of the tunnel, however. He concludes with this:
Ultimately, of course, we will have no choice but to rebuild our infrastructure or risk social collapse. It’s not just the disintegrating bridges and extreme weather. Recent global supply chain disruptions suggest that certain parts of corporate America may turn toward a pro-infrastructure posture out of self-interest.
I’m not sure exactly what he’s referring to specifically but at this point I’m guessing self-interest is all we’ve got. Civic pride, even nationalism, are no longer operative among the global financial elites. They just don’t care.
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