Privatization has been on the right-wing agenda for years, but now it has the power of the Bush administration behind it. Health card, schools, Social Security, public lands, the military, prisons-all are considered fair game. But does privatization really serve the public good? Or is it a payoff to powerful corporations intent on replacing the government with a "private profit culture," in which there is no meaningful public accountability and the bottom line rules all? In this powerful book, legendary activist Si Kahn and public philosopher Elizabeth Minnich argue that privatization is a threat whose seriousness fdw appreciate.

Kahn and Minnich expose the damage privatization has done in several specific areas of society, as well as to society as a whole. They argue that corporations are, by their very nature, unable to effectively fufill what have traditionally been the responsibilities of government. some things that are worth doing simply can't, indeed shouldn't, be done purely for profit. Unless there is a balance between the public and private sectors, vulnerable populations wll be chronically underserved and critical public functions will be under-funded to the point of virtual elimination.

Privatization is usually dealt with in dry economic terms, but Kahn and Minnich take an unusual and lively approach to the issue. Combining stories, analysis, impassioned argument, and even song lyrics, they discuss how the concetp of privatization has evolved and look at the different forcess that work ofor and against it, emphasizing the extreme anti-government ideology motivating many privatization advocates. And they outline principles and practices for combating privatization and its proponents.The Fox in the Henhouse makes a powerful case that the market is not the measure of all things, and that a vital public sector is an indispensable component of a healthy democracy.

 

Si Kahn has worked for 40 years as a civil rights, labor, and community organizer. He is executive director of Grassroots Leadership ( www.grassrootsleadership.org),a 25-year-old progressive non-profit organization that works to abolish for-profit private prisons, jails and detention centers. A songwriter and musician ( www.sikahn.com ), Si Kahn is releasing his 15th CD Blood From Stones concurrently with The Fox in the Henhouse.

Elizabeth Minnich is Senior Fellow at the Association of American Colleges and Universities. She has worked for 40 years as a university professor and administrator, author, speaker, workshop leader, consultant, and scribe. A feminist philosopher, she has lectured at over 150 colleges and universities( www.elizabethminnich.com ).