Minnesota Bridge Collapse, August 1, 2007

Public services are never better performed than when their reward comes in consequence of their being performed, and is proportioned to the diligence employed in performing them. Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

The collapse of a bridge over the Mississippi River in Minnesota will cause much finger pointing and blame. There will be a commission set up to study the cause. There will be a cry for more federal investment (The federal government can print money, the states cannot). Some will even call for the Federal Government to assume responsibility for bridges.

No government official will lose their job. No government official will go to jail for negligent homicide. There will be no hue and cry to privatize the bridges.

Contrast what happens to a government tragedy and one that happens to a private company. Had the bridge been owned by a private corporation there would be a hue and cry for the government to take over the bridge. If the bridge was owned by a private company the Attorney General would hold a press conference and begin an investigation. The private company would be sued and someone would lose their jobs and go to jail for negligent homicide.

When there is a tragedy in a private company, there is a press release, or one spokesperson for the company gets in front of the camera to answer questions. When there is a tragedy by the government, many government officials will be in front of the camera telling the public what a wonderful job the brave and heroic government employees are doing to protect the public, as the government employees collect overtime pay.

People who drive on government roads think the roads are free. They have no idea how much they are paying to drive a mile on a government road. If the roads were privatized then each driver would know how much they pay to drive a mile.

Other government owned programs besides roads are the levee system the Army Corp of Engineers maintains. When the levees protecting New Orleans collapsed during hurricane Katrina causing the loss of over 1000 lives, not one government employee was charged with a crime. There were however, constant attacks on private insurance companies for not paying claims.

Charles Tolleson