LPA Foundation

Issues Forum: Privatization

Privatization

Privatization

Privatization Winners, Losers: Indiana Toll Road vs. Chicago Parking Meters

July 6, 2016

Amost everyone agrees that Mayor Richard M. Daley’s parking meter lease was an epic civic fiasco. But one bad deal shouldn’t cause us to write off all long-term privatizations. If Chicago’s 2008 leasing venture was a disaster, former Gov. Mitch Daniels’ Indiana Toll Road lease was the complete opposite. Done right, privatization can be a boon. Yet […]

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Privatization

Privatization

Amtrak Needs Privatization, Not More Subsidies

May 18, 2015

By Jeffrey Dorfman Last week witnessed a tragic train derailment on the Amtrak line that connects major East Coast cities. While the exact cause of the accident is not known yet, within two days liberal politicians had seized on the occasion to demand larger subsidies for Amtrak. In fact, the events of last week show […]

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Finance & Banking

Finance & Banking

Promises of Public Banks Don’t Match Reality

March 5, 2015

The big-bank bailouts during the financial crisis angered many people, including myself. Some have suggested that state- or city-owned banks could be a substitute for big banks and eliminate many of the problems associated with them, ranging from bailouts to consumer abuses, conflicts of interest and sometimes outright corruption. Public banking options are currently under […]

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Privatization

Privatization

Going Postal, Again

March 2, 2015

The United States Postal Service (USPS) lost $5.5 billion last year. That is the eighth annual loss in a row and the third-highest ever. The only silver lining is that the loss was below the red-ink tsunami of $15.9 billion in 2012. Why does the federal government deliver the mail? Why does it have a […]

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