[quote=jficquette][quote=Aecetia]You get what you pay for. If you want to pay bargain basement wages, you will get marginally qualified employees. The less qualified, the more problems, and the more law suits for the municipalities who are for the most part self-insured.[/quote]
If we really wanted our money’s worth we would fire all them all and let private entities handle it.[/quote]
Privatization of critical operations:
There has been much debate ast to whether the use of private security
contractors by the U.S. government is cost-effective. According to the CBO, the
costs associated with using private security contractors in Iraq “did not differ greatly
form the costs of having a comparable military unit performing similar functions.
During peacetime, however, the military unit would remain in the force structure and
continue to accrue costs at a peacetime rate, whereas the private security contract
would not have to be renewed.”18 Agencies generally have not conducted
comprehensive cost-benefit analyses comparing the costs of using private security
companies with the costs of using in-house security resources.
Pay Scales for PSC Employees. Pay scales for these contractors
reportedly vary depending on their experience, their nationality, and the U.S.
government’s perceptions of danger involved. When the hiring of such contractors
first became controversial, the news media reported (in April 2004) a pay range of
$500 to $1,500 per day.19 Since the earlier days of the conflict, experts suggest that
the pay scale has decreased and is on average lower globally as the supply of those
desiring such work has risen.20 The highest amounts are paid to highly trained and
experienced former military personnel from the United States and British
Commonwealth, with lower amounts paid to personnel from developing countries
such as Chile and Nepal, and the lowest amounts going to locally hired Iraqis.
Since police and fire protection are ongoing services, there will likely be no net savings if private contractors are used. Note how the training for these “highly trained and experienced former military personnel” was paid for by taxpayers, as these contractors usually hire former military personnel. I’ve heard that the pay for these “experts” is 3-5 times what their pay was for doing the **exact same job** in the regular services. Not sure where all these “savings” are supposed to come from when private companies expect to make a profit.
Also, who is going to be liable when somebody’s accidentally shot or when a person’s life is lost because of paramedic/firefighter negligence, or if a house/business burns down because the private fire department didn’t get there on time? Are the taxpayers going to be on the hook for this? I would certainly hope not! If private companies want to make the profits, they need to take all the losses as well. What happens when they go out of business? How do you protect against corruption or other problems when these private contractors don’t have to answer to the public?
BTW, would you rather a rent-a-cop/private ambulance respond to your 911 call, or a professional cop or firefighter/paramedic?
