~ ATCAPHF-RC-IDOCPTOACKAO-OE-OC-A-OL-TSODCAAN-TSCHBUTITWBOIWLOEAOLITHOTPM-AIBFNHBTWCNLATWMTADA-ETWAAVRCT-IR-WHMTCBOTISOTMODTFN-R-WMTBOTPEBPFIWHBKTTOLPOOPDSTCOTAMTFP ~ All This Cutting And Privatizing Has Far-Reaching Consequences – It Diminishes Our Collective Power To Own And Control Key Aspects Of – Our Economy – Our Country – And – Our Lives – Thereby Shrinking Our Democratic Capacity As A Nation – These Sweeping Changes Have Been Made Under The Illusion That We’re Better Off If We Leave Our Economy And Our Lives In The Hands Of The Private Marketplace – Another Influential But False Notion Has Been That We Can No Longer Afford Things We Managed To Afford Decades Ago – Even Though We Are A Vastly Richer Country Today – In Reality – We Haven’t Made These Changes Because Of The Inherent Superiority Of The Marketplace Or Due To Financial Necessity – Rather – We’ve Made Them Because Of The Pressure Exerted By Powerful Financial Interests Who Have Been Keen To Take Over Lucrative Parts Of Our Public Domain So They Can Own Them And Milk Them For Profits

~ TCWHSUWIATEOPEWDGAIAI ~ The Corporate World Has Saturated Us With Ideas About The Effectiveness Of Private Enterprise While Depicting Government As Inefficient And Intrusive

~ TMDAOONITWASA ~ The Most Dominant Aspect Of Our Nature Is That We Are Social Animals

~ TAOMPHB-FTMPTH-CALIMODASTTDOOT-SA-L/H/D/B/S/DOD ~ The Attainment Of Material Possessions Has Been – For The Most Part Throughout History – Considered A Less Important Mark Of Distinction And Status Than The Demonstration Of Other Traits – Such As – Loyalty / Honour / Devotion / Bravery / Service / Dedication Of Duty

~ IWAA-AA-SA-TSWNTSOSBAOCABOCTDTADF-ICGAR-OFSCBOBA-S-MF-A-MISO-RTOUASIA ~ If We Are Actually – Above All – Social Animals – Then Surely We Need To Strengthen Our Social Bonds And Our Communities And Bolster Our Capacity To Defend Them Agaisnt Disrupting Forces – Including Corporate Greed And Rapaciousness – Our Focus Should Clearly Be On Building A – Stronger – More Functional – And – More Inclusive Social Order – Rather Than On Unleashing And Stimulating Individual Acquisitiveness

~ FWSA-PO-HSRV-CAIDWBAASITC ~ For We Social Animals – Public Ownership – Has Some Real Virtues – Coming As It Does With Benefits And A Stake In The Community

~ TOIAIS-ASPURT-GETWUOC ~ The Oil Industry And Its Supporters – Are Still Putting Up Resistance To – Global Efforts To Wean Us Off Carbon

~ PO-IAPPTVFND ~ Public Ownership – Is A Potentially Powerful Transformative Vehicle For National Development

~ TNTTWSBATBPTTTILATHO-PCT ~ The Notion That The Wealthy Should Be Able To Block Policies That Threaten Their Interests Lies At The Heart Of – Public Choice Theory

~ MOEHTFOI-‘MF’-TDHGICCSP ~ Much Of Economics Has Traditionally Focused On Identifying – “Market Failure” – To Determine How Government Intervention Could Correct Such Problems

~ MO-PCT-DJWOOOHN-B-APCTSIW-IPUBC-TPTPSDFAPAA-MOTN-PSTLTD-TCECIOS ~ Much Of – Public Choice Theory – Doesn’t Jibe With Our Observation Of Human Nature – But – Although Public Choice Theory Seems Intellectually Weak – Its Political Usefulness Became Clear – The Push To Privatize Seems Disconnected From Any Practical Advantage Achieved – More Often Than Not – Privatization Seems To Lead To Disadvantage – To Considerable Extra Costs Imposed On Society

~ AOT-OWITWPP-EBWTSATSOTPSS-OITMBDT-SS-I-TIAGDO-MTBM-IPFTWEU-OOO-CPI-AWAFTIIDUTC-P-PP-D-O-PR-F/L/A-A ~ Among Other Things – One Wonders If Those Who Promote Privatization – Even Believe What They Say About The Superiority Of The Private Sector – Or If Their Motivation Boils Down To – Simple Self-Interest – There Is A Great Deal Of – Money To Be Made – In Privatization For Those Who End Up – Owning Or Operating – Crucial Public Infrastructure – As Well As For Those Involved In Drawing Up The Complex – Public-Private Partnership – Deals – Or – Providing Related – Financial / Legal / Accounting – Advice

~ TTOTC-HCCMTUOSR-B-CR-A-HDSTH ~ The Triumph Of The Commons – Humans Can Collectively Manage Their Use Of Shared Resources – By– Creating Rules – And – Have Done So Throughout History

~ TSCAPOWBD-‘TN-LA’-ASOPBO-FP-T-TBDTTSNT-TPSIIHATPSIIB-TRHBAMTOSRFOPTASSOWIAC ~ These Substantial Changes Are Part Of What’s Been Dubbed – “The Neo-Liberal Agenda” – A Set Of Polices Based On – Flimsy Pseudo-Theories – That Boil Down To The Simplistic Notion That – The Private Sector Is Inherently Good And The Public Sector Is Inherently Bad – The Result Has Been A Massive Transfer Of Society’s Resources From Ordinary People To A Small Set Of Wealthy Individuals And Corporations

~ TR-P-B-M-ORY-HBUFPUAAIOI-WSFOTTBAWIRIOI-A-NBIIOCDFWTCF-TBC-WDPD ~ The Rigid – Pro-Business – Mindset – Of Recent Years – Has Blocked Us From Properly Understanding And Acting In Our Own Interests – We Should Free Ourselves To Think Boldly About What Is Really In Our Interest – And – Not Be Intimidated If Our Conclusions Don’t Fit With Those Coming From – The Business Commentators – Who Dominate Public Debate