Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Privatization Debate Likely to Resurface in 2014 General Assembly | WEKU

Privatization Debate Likely to Resurface in 2014 General Assembly | WEKU
"Kentucky lawmakers are being asked to consider a new proposal for privatizing certain services or projects.  It is not new to Kentucky state government.  Privatization was used in a significant way to house inmates across the Commonwealth for decades. The state cut its tie to privately run prisons earlier this year. The number of inmates housed in prisons has been on the decline.  There were also sexual abuse of inmate allegations and complaints by shift supervisors, allegations denied by the private firm.  Bob Gray worked in state government for a quarter century before going into consulting.  He believes private firms can be key players in the public arena."

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

2013 highlights--Illinois condo and HOA law--Pamela McKuen, Chicago Tribune

2013 highlights for Illinois condo association law
"If your community association's meetings seem to be getting longer, it's not your imagination. Myriad court judgments, legislation and hot topics this year have given boards plenty to talk about and added work to do."
--------
Including the horrendous Lake Holiday case that allows HOAs to create private police departments and conduct traffic stops. 

Monday, December 23, 2013

Homeowners group targets HOA transfer fees in Colorado - The Denver Post

Homeowners group targets HOA transfer fees in Colorado - The Denver Post: "Community managers have never justified this fee," said Stan Hrincevich, president of the Colorado HOA Forum, who calls the charges "costly" and "unwarranted."

Hrincevich said he has seen transfer fees ranging from $50 to $500 or more and estimates they average about $200 per sale.

He argues that transfers should be handled as part of existing administrative costs, given that they usually involve nothing more than a form letter drafted from existing HOA records.

Hrincevich said his group is working with state Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver, and state Sen. John Kefalas, D- Fort Collins, on a bill that would either eliminate the transfer fees or cap them at $50.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

10News - La Jolla man fighting for Christmas decorations - 10News.com - News

10News - La Jolla man fighting for Christmas decorations - 10News.com - News

The HOA grinch goes after some guy's holiday lights.  He puts up more lights and brings in carolers. Fa la la la la. Film at 10 on ABC 10 San Diego.

Why the system of rail privatisation in the UK has been a disaster | British Politics and Policy at LSE

Why the system of rail privatisation in the UK has been a disaster | British Politics and Policy at LSE
"A troublemaking report from the Centre for Research in Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC) has been upsetting the powerful again. The Great Train Robbery: rail privatisation and after has a great deal to say about the business models that now underpin the disastrous system of rail privatisation in the UK, but it also reveals a pattern that will particularly interest the readers of a politics blog. It shows that the initial vision offered by privatisers of a transparent and democratically accountable set of privatised markets has turned out, in reality, to be something very different: the politics of rail privatisation involves backstairs lobbying, manipulation of the terms of public debate by well resourced private interests and a blurring of the divide between the public and the private."
--------------------------
In the 1980s many people saw privatization as a panacea for all the problems associated with provision of public goods. The "private sector" had all the answers, they said. Markets would bring about efficient delivery of high-quality public services.  Now there are hundreds of case studies raising all sorts of troubling questions.