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Blackwater might be a more appropriate name for the future of some private firefighting business. Robert at Calitics has been looking into federal firefighter shortages during the recent spate of wildfires (over 1700 in total since June 20). He reports that there have been "deliberate staffing shortages have left the USFS [US Forest Service] unable to do vital off-season brush clearance, and left them without the staffing to get a quick jump on fires in their crucial initial stages."
Add to that lower comparable wages and failed recruitment ("only 186 of the agency's 276 engines were manned at the start of the 2008 fire season").
Where is all this leading? "[President George] Bush is trying to destroy a government agency in order to turn it over to private contractors... destroying public firefighting and leaving folks to fend for themselves on the private market is a core conservative goal. Private military contractors rightly scare us, but private firefighting should be even more frightening -- what incentive would they have to protect the homes of the poor?"
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the privatization of public services will lead to inadequate public services for anyone who isn't elite and extremely rich. bad.
Wow!
You guys have it all backwards. There is NO INCENTIVE in government run/sponsored programs because there is no competition or accountability!
A free market is RUN and SURVIVES by competition and competency. If you can't provide a good or service to properly meet or exceed a need you will fail. Free market, independent fire departments would be required to meet perpetually higher standards through competition to merely survive as a profitable franchise.
A program that is funded "no matter what" has absolutely NO incentive to improve. Now, I understand that in this case, it should be noted, saving human lives should be incentive enough to perform. However, inserting a little free market pressure would increase that incentive and thusly improve performance. It's simply Business 101.
"- what incentive would they have to protect the homes of the poor?"
None.
This issue came up during our last wildfire season...
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/As_public_firefighting_decays_billion_dollar_1210.html
...a good read.
I'm told that Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine" also discusses the subject. I haven't read it yet. I'm waiting for the price to go down.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Naomi+Klein+Shock+Doctrine&x=0&y=0
"It's simply Business 101."
No, sounds more like typical Libertarian, "I can afford mine, don't expect me to pay for anyone elses'." sink or swim type bullshit.
No social responsibility.
There's gonna be a hell of a lot more homeless people on the street when the poor neighborhoods burn to the ground because all the competent firefighters are babysitting beverly hills.
On the bright side, the surplus of homeless will cause the free market to drive the price of a freeway entrance windshield wash down to mere pennies. Your SUVs are gonna glisten like shiny new half-dollars in this wonderful future we're building. That's nice.
@jrb That isn't necessarily a Libertarian viewpoint.
Although to be honest, I agree. Natural selection has ceased to exist. If you can't take care of yourself, feed yourself, clothe yourself, etc., then why should anyone do it for you?*
*Note: This standard doesn't apply to old people that are infirm. Or babies.