The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy

by Si Kahn and Elizabeth Minnich

Book Overview

An activist and a philosopher discuss how privatization harms society and how we can challenge it.

Privatization has been on the right-wing agenda for years. Health care, schools, Social Security, public lands, the military, prisons--all are considered fair game. Through stories, analysis, impassioned argument--even song lyrics--Si Kahn and Elizabeth Minnich show that corporations are, by their very nature, unable to fulfill effectively...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576753379
• ISBN13: 9781576753378
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Hear the foxes howl

At the outset, I must concede that I have a bit of a bias when it comes to the subject matter of this book. As a civil servant I've had to put up with the incessant drone of the Bush administration's propaganda machine as it extols the merits of A-76 studies. Every time I turn around I receive an e-mail @ work that tries to convince us how fair, just and blessed his privatization agenda is. The problem is, I've seen myriad A-76 disasters; bait & switch tactics by contractors, egregious amounts of money being spent on useless studies, government workers being shafted no matter what happens, companies going bankrupt after receiving the contract and (most likely to happen) the contractor falling well short of what it promised in the original agreement. I do NOT need some bureaucrat in Washington telling me I didn't really see what I already saw!! All the while, I kept thinking that surely someone out there must see the same waste / fraud / abuse in government contracting that I did. Thankfully, for once in my life, I was correct. Enter Minnich and Kahn. This book details many of the problems I already knew existed, but goes further in-depth than I have been able. Some may be offended that the book portrays Republicans and corporate executives as voracious wolves who would eat their own young to turn a buck. The most surprising thing about this assessment is that it's accurate. Whether it's politically correct to call something what it already is, is entirely irrelevant. George W. Bush is likely the most privatization-friendly president in history. He has nothing but contempt for government workers, and the sooner we're all out-sourced, the better. The company line is that outsourcing is a fabulous deal for everyone, and people who work for the private sector are intrinsically more intelligent and operate with greater efficiency than those who work for the government. In the end, if the government is privatized, it helps the "free market" economy and the government "releases itself" from being a burden to progress. The sixty-thousand-dollar question, of course, is this: can this be categorically said to be true? If you answered "no," you are correct. If you're not convinced that no is the right answer, read the horror stories from this book & they will promptly change your mind. For all those who would claim that this book is nothing but a whimsical book written by bed-wetting liberals, I say this: for ONCE in your life exercise your aptitude for critical thinking and USE it when you read what Minnich & Kahn have to say!! For those who are skeptical of privatizing the government, this book will reinforce your reasons for being skeptical. Some who are naive enough to believe that Dubya actually has the well-being of this countries' citizens in mind when he makes his decisions will be stunned by the revelations contained herein. However, to grow as a country sometimes demands painful steps be made. Stopping the ar

a real eye-opener

This is a frightening book. It's about a threat to our way of life, a threat the more menacing in that it's creeping up on us unawares and insinuating itself into every aspect of our lives, our schools, our health care, our environment, our democratic values and institutions. The strategy is this: claim a public system is failing, disinvest and otherwise make sure that it does fail, support and publicize private alternatives, then justify the shift from public to private by saying, "We had to do it because the public system was so terrible." It's happening with our schools, our prisons, our health care. The claim is, the private sector will do it more efficiently. The reality is, they do it for profit- and they're accountable to no one. We did not elect them. We don't even know who they are! This book is an eye opener. No wonder we all go around feeling like we're losing control of our lives-we are. We're losing our country. The authors point out that the public sector has a pretty good track record, from the public hospitals we were born in, to the public schools, the community colleges and colleges, we attended, to the public highways we drive on and the public officials we count on to protect us-these institutions were not set up for profit, but to serve us. Corporations don't serve us. They serve themselves. Unless we mobilize, we're going to lose it.

Activating Resistance, Reversing the Trend

In this "must-read" book, Kahn and Minnich demonstrate persuasively that privatization is not a viable solution to public problems and is not an isolated phenomenon. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples, they argue that privatization is part of a corporate strategy to shift "public funds into private pockets," thereby creating the very problems it purports to fix. Although they see these growing efforts as a serious assault on our democratic rights and the public good, with this book they hope to reverse this trend by activating our spirits of resistance and cooperation. The embedded poems, songs and stories infuse the book with special richness and warmth.

A brilliant reframing of the neocon agenda

Attacks from the neocons come from so many directions that it's often hard to articulate an overarching/ underlying principle behind their agenda. Until recently, I might have identified "greed" or "desire for absolute power," as their byword, but after reading The Fox in the Henhouse, I'm inclined to agree that "privatization," in its largest sense is a crux of the problem. By reconceptualizing the notion of what is and ought to remain "public," Si Kahn and Elizabeth Minnich awaken us not only to the dangers of privatization, but also to the rights, the resources and the responsbilities that we have as members of the endangered public sphere. This is a vitally important book for understanding our current situation, for recognizing new threats, and for taking effective action.

An Important Wake Up Call

In The Fox in the Henhouse, Si Kahn and Elizabeth Minnich offer an eloquent and passionate analysis of the massive threat to American democracy posed by privatization. They present a frighteningly clear exploration of the corporate takeover of the public sphere that is rapidly eroding fundamental rights and freedoms, erasing the "public good," and eviscerating democracy itself. Theirs, however, is a prophetic call to action, not despair. "We the People" must reassert the primacy of the public good over private profit for the sake of us all and before it is too late.