The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy (Bk Currents) | 
| Authors: Si Kahn, Elizabeth Minnich
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Category: Book
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 377142
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 290
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 1576753379
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.973
EAN: 9781576753378
ASIN: 1576753379
Publication Date: October 10, 2005
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Product Description
Privatization is one of the most important political and economic developments of our time, affecting virtually every person and state in the world. The purpose of "The Fox in the Henhouse is to present, in clear, direct terms, an analysis of privatization that helps readers understand what is happening to them and what they can do about it. It gives people on all sides of many different privatization struggles -- over hospitals, schools, sanitation, water, Social Security, the military, public lands, the postal service, national parks, prisons -- the arguments that have been used to place privatization at the center of the corporate agenda and to dominate the public debate. It also offers a historical framework that allows readers to center their thinking on what it means to build a democratic society, while providing the counterarguments -- and inspiration -- that people need both to argue and to fight back.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 If you actually think the "Free Market" is "Free" then this book will open your eyes. July 2, 2008
Whether you are liberal or conservative; republican or democrat; public or private, the impact of the corporate sphere on your life in America is now more far reaching than ever.
The authors make a strong case that the buzz words of free enterprise, free markets, competition have been usurped by a system of corporate welfare where your tax dollars are used to subsidize the operations of big business.
Big business in return for these subsidies has no obligation to repay you, your town or your community any dividend. Their concern is shareholder profits, that's it.
A key example is how Wal-Mart encourages their employees to use the public health system, which lowers their costs, but increases our tax burdens!
Another example is the outsourcing and privatization of war (they used to be called mercenaries) whereby again our tax dollars are subsidizing (corporate welfare) the operations of a few large multi-national corporations.
I am as much for the free market as anyone, as well as a level playing field. However when the system is rigged, then anyone can tell you that fair and free are just words.
Whether you agree with the authors or not, you are encouraged to read this book to gain a balanced perspective.
Corporate dominance of the public sphere is not what our founding fathers intended when they set up this great nation.
Highly recommended.
 Too much philosophy, not enough facts July 5, 2007
Every time period, every era is marked by historical trends that occur too slow to perceive by most, but which result in momentous transformations in the makeup of society. I dare say that privatization is the biggest trend of the post Cold War era. Whether it is public utilities, telecommunications, police, correctional facilities, or even space exploration, the forces of privatization have slowly and gradually taken over countries on every continent. Privatization is also one of the least discussed issues in both politics, political science, and economics.
This book addresses how privatization affects democracy and democratic governments. The authors, veterans of numerous civil rights struggles, have written a short book laying out the case against privatization of many sectors of society, some of which were listed earlier in this review. The text is quite short for such a massive subject, and only privatization of three sectors of the economy are examined in detail; prisons, schools, and the US military. Brief mention is made of privatization of airport security, airport traffic control, water, and land. The book ignores privatization of scientific/medical research, financial regulations, power utilities, roads/transit systems, and a whole host of other sectors of the economy.
The style of the text is about one third fact, one third polemic, and one third philosophical reasoning. I was expecting this book to be a cross between a history book and investigative journalism. Unfortunately. it seemed to be a mixture of political propaganda and editorial journalism. As such, the authors offer too little factual analysis and too much commentary; basically a liberal counterpoint to Rush Limbaugh. This is unfortunate as both the title of the text and the subject matter is quite important. If a second edition is released, the authors should include more data to back their arguments; data in the form of tables, charts, and graphs. The authors should also leave out the various poems and folk songs interspersed on every other page. The authors should also examine more sectors of the economy and how each has been privatized to some extent.
In summary, a book with great promise, great ideas, but mediocre execution and delivery. Not enough substance or heart.
Government can be a good thing; private greed can be a bad thing June 8, 2006
The book is a good read that changed my philosophy from a "libertarian" approach to a more Adam Smith-like approach in which the government regulates the marketplace to create a level playing field. Even Adam Smith saw there were limits to what a free market can do. We should not have a economic race to the bottom. Mindless pursuit of privitization can be more expensive socially, politically, and economically than relying on the government.
The book reminds us that the proper role of government in the words of Abraham Lincoln is help people do what they cannot do for themselves. If that means public schools and social security, it is a reasonable price to pay for people to live like civilized human beings. Government services and regulations prevent private enterprise from overstepping its bounds into dominating our lives. For example, the book points out we all lose when Clearwater Communications dominates all the radio and television stations in a given community so there are no other voices.
There is a role for government and there is a role for private enterprise. We should not allow blind worship of the marketplace to enable a few people on top become even richer by gutting social services and government regulations so they can save on taxes and the rest us can suffer the consequences. To privatize government is to put into the hands of a few people who are already well-off and can look after themselves.
Hear the foxes howl May 29, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
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 arbitrary onslaught of privatization is one of them. Read this book and you will peer into what is REALLY "behind the curtain" of the privatization agenda.
 Powerful Book March 2, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Strengths - This book makes a very articulate argument against privatization from a philosophical viewpoint, spanning several areas of "industry" (health care, schools, prisons, etc.) and why a vibrant public sector benefits not only the poor and middle class, but corporations themselves. The sections on privatizing prisons is particularly illuminating, given the authors' experience with advocacy in this particular realm. Unlike other books, this one actually does come up with an alternate plan to the current privatization schemes, unlike other books which just "rage against the machine".
Weaknesses - Other than the sections on prisons, facts and figures seem to be lacking. There are plenty of solid statistics backing up the hard economic reality that the book argues out there, they just don't include them. I also could do without the poetry, it really doesn't add anything to the argument and seems more of a distraction.
One neutral comment - The book indicates that some corporations are trying to put their employees on Medicaid, transferring economic responsibility to the government. In reality, they don't want Medicaid to exist at all, so they don't have to pay "high" business taxes...and we are essentially left with a cash-pay health care industry where only those with the means to pay get even adequate care.
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