Blogging Tory "Officially Screwed" figures he's got the goods:
Beckbytes – Arguing With Idiots About Capitalism II
From Glenn Beck’s new book Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government comes this clip about privatization.
A.D.D. Moment – New Zealand corporatized their postal service in 1987. As Cornell professor Richard Geddes notes, that change “led to improvements in efficiency, a 40% reduction in the system’s workforce, a doubling in labor productivity, a decrease in the cost of sending a letter and a decrease in the price of a basic stamp.” And they did it all without impacting service in either rural or urban communities.
It's embarrassing when you can blow holes in someone's arguments using their own words (emphasis tail-waggingly added):
New Zealand, Cornell economist Richard Geddes points out, offers an instructive case. While the island nation did not privatize its postal service, it corporatized it in 1987. The move ultimately led to improvements in efficiency, a 40% reduction in the system's workforce, a doubling in labor productivity, a decrease in the cost of sending letter and a decrease in the price of a basic stamp. Moreover, New Zealand was able to accomplish all of this and maintain comprehensive service to both urban and rural communities.
The dangers of illiteracy.
P.S. You do, of course, appreciate Beck's dishonesty in clearly copying from that Forbes article, yet carefully excising the critical phrase, "did not privatize," then hoping no one noticed the difference. And, true to form, really, really stupid people didn't.
It's funny how that works, isn't it?
I TAKE IT BACK: Based on his comment, he's still a twit.
P.P.S. Glenn Beck is still a dishonest, lying douchebag. That hasn't changed.
2 comments:
I didn't know the troll "TrustOnlyMulder" (what rich fantasy lives these losers have) had his own blog.
I resent being made aware of that fact.
Actually what happened in New Zealand is a lesson about what happens when you privatize essential services.
Several of New Zealand's truly privatized enterprises had to be renationalized when they made bad business decisions and got into financial trouble. Read the story of Air New Zealand.
I suppose a free-marketier would say let them fail, but when you are an isolated Pacific country, 1800km away from the nearest landmass and your largest air carrier is on the brink of collapse, it becomes a matter of national security to ensure service is retained.
But that's the great thing about (g)libertarians. They never have to think through the social or macro-economic implications of their philosophy.
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