Pay More, Get Less: The Perils of Privatization
With more private military contractors in Afghanistan than troops; BP directing its own clean-up in the Gulf; the privatization of social safety services at the expense of our nation’s most vulnerable populations; prisons controlled by corporations that answer only to their shareholders; our roads, bridges and even water under the control of foreign corporations; and secret intelligence operations being outsourced to corporate mercenaries who work for the highest bidder, this panel will take a critical look at how privatization of government is subverting democracy and making our communities and nation less safe. What is the impact here and abroad? How can we hold corporations accountable, or are they outside the law? We’ll outline the high cost of handing over core government functions to big business and strategize on how to effect change, from grassroots mobilization to important legislation.
Jeremy Scahill is a journalist. He primarily covers celebrity gossip, Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson, SnOOki et al. Occasionally he writes about mercenaries, the lovely US military adventures across the globe and the politicians that love and fund them. Oh, and he likes turtles and wrote some book about Blackwater (that awesome company President Obama keeps hiring to keep America safe). Favorite beer: Bud Light Lime.
Schakowsky serves in the House Democratic Leadership as Chief Deputy Whip and as a member of the Steering and Policy Committee. She is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where she will work to accomplish her top priority in Congress -- providing universal healthcare coverage for all Americans. On that Committee, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection and as a member of the Subcommittee on Health and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
A citizen advocate, grassroots organizer, and elected public official, Schakowsky has fought throughout her career for economic and social justice and improved quality of life for all; for an end to violence against women; and for a national investment in healthcare, public education and housing needs.
