Yes, Privatize the Water Industry

Esther Bergdahl of PolicyMic.com laments the World Bank’s recommendation to privatize the water industry. “Privatizing water — or, more precisely, the infrastructure that cleans and delivers it — is bad for the consumer.” And monopolies aren’t? Right now, a, gasp!, corporation, in this case a monopolist corporation, ie. the state, is already managing the water industry. I thought monopolies were bad? Something about being unaccountable to customers, inefficient, wasteful, any of that ring a bell Ms. Bergdahl? We can’t oppose corporations taking over the water industry while at the same time favoring a corporation to manage the water industry, and remain logically consistent. (Should food be monopolized, too? That’s just as important, really.)

“Right now we’re funding development to prop up private projects, instead of putting the decisions for funding in the hands of governments that are accountable to people.” I’m skeptical that government is anywhere near as accountable to people as are corporations that live or die on the basis of customer satisfaction. Think Police State, DMVs, Obamacare, 9/11, et cetera. It’s a no-brainer.

Skyler.