Privatization is a Dirty Word
June 03, 2009
Don Zavodny, director of AFSCME Council 72 Missouri/Kansas, is speaking out against attempts to privatize mental health services.
In a letter to the editor published in yesterday's Kansas City Star, Zavodny writes:
Privatization has become a dirty word. And for good reason. Imagine where we would be today if George W. Bush had gotten his way and gambled away our Social Security on the stock market.
More than 87,000 Missourians have lost their jobs in the last year. For the affected families those job losses are accompanied by a spike in mental stress and anguish and an increased demand for public services.
Every Kansas City area resident should be able to count on mental health services in good times and bad. We cannot do that if delivery of these services is contingent on how they affect a corporation’s bottom line. That will not guarantee them in tough times.
