ICPPC
Illinois Coalition to Protect the Public Commons
SAY “YES” TO PUBLIC CONTROL
Privatization Affects Us All!
Keep our Infrastructure in Public Hands
Current Legislation Authorizes the 99 Year Sale and Lost Control of Public Property
About Us
ICPPC was founded in September 2011 by a group of citizen advocates from a variety of issue groups, all concerned about the growing national trend to privatize the public commons. We joined together in order to share information, support each other’s issues and actions and create a stronger force to fight for the public interest. We are committed to promoting our goals through public education, research, forums, outreach, actions and lobbying.
Why form a new Coalition?
Nearly every aspect of our public commons has been, or is being threatened with, privatization:
What’s at Risk?
When public assets or the public commons are privatized, citizens relinquish control of our communities to the corporate state. We lose good jobs, money, access, our sense of community, accountability and legal recourse. The corporate state grows while democracy shrinks. Whose rights are protected in an ownership society?
What Happens When Public Assets are Privatized?
As we saw with the Chicago parking meters, when public assets are privatized the public pays and the private companies profit. Private companies invest for fast profits and fat bonuses. To do this, they quickly raise prices, reduce services and/or quality, replace public workers with fewer, less-skilled workers, cut back on long-term maintenance, and exploit public grants and tax exemptions. This is socialism - reverse socialism. It is socialism for the wealthy.
High Costs of Privatization
- Soaring costs and fees
- Cuts in services and sites
- Poorer quality
- Regulatory capture
- Loss of flexibility for public policy making
- Less transparency and accountability
- Loss of pensions for workers
- Loss of job security for workers
- Loss of valuable revenue streams
(as in the case of the parking
meters deal)
- Weaken unions, the backbone of
the middle class
- Hollows out the public sector and
increases corporate control
Failures of Privatization
Skyway Bridge: In 2005 Mayor Daley assigned the Skyway Bridge connecting the city to Indiana to a consortium owned by Spanish and Australian companies for $1.15 billion for a 99 year lease. The private companies stand to reap way more - between $5 to $15 billion.
Parking Meters: In 2009 Mayor Daley gave a group of investors led by Morgan Stanley a 75-year lease on the city’s parking meters for $1.5 billion. The investors, including the state-owned investment arm of Abu Dhabi, will earn some $11.6 billion - the city nothing.
Chicago Public Schools: The mayor created much community dissatisfaction and anger with the forced closings of local schools. Studies show that, despite claims to the contrary, charter schools do not outperform public schools.
Water System: Atlanta terminated a 20-year water privatization contract after four years, citing service problems. Nearby Homer Glen in Will County, which had contracted with Illinois-American Water Co. had water rates about three times more than in neighboring communities.
Don’t We Learn?
In spite of these failures and many others at the local and national levels, our current mayor is pressing for more privatization of public services, particularly schools and health centers. He also is hinting at selling public library buildings and our water system.
Our Demands
- Keep public assets, paid for by public fund in
public hands
- Public assess and a place at the table
- A statewide bill protecting the public commons
- Transparency in planning
- Adequate public review of any plans affecting
public assets
- End of secrecy in planning with a timely notice
of any plans that affect the public commons
- A city ordinance protecting the publicly owned
city assets
- Expand, not contract, public services
- End of cronyism which wastes taxpayer funds
Join Us
ICPPC meets periodically, alternately by teleconference or in-person meetings. For info, email:
Things You Can Do
- Widen your sources of information
- Talk with your friends and neighbors about thes
issues
- Host a networking party
- Invite a speaker to your local civic or
religious group
- Sign a petition, such as:
- Urge your elected representatives to oppose
privatization and protect public assets and
services
- Get active in civic engagement, attend local
townhall meetings or city council meetings
- Join a campaign or action to protect the
commons
- Join and support ICPPC
- Schools
- Parking Meters
- Transportation
- Healthcare
- Water System
- Libraries
- City Services
- Social Security
- Elections
- Legal Services
- US Post Offices
- Infrastructure
- Regulatory Services
- Public Artworks
- Medicare
- Policing/Security
- Medicaid Services
- Regulatory Services
- Parks
Say No to Privatization of Our Infrastructure
Such as Public Transit
An elevated line, new bus rapid transit lines, or all bus routes emanating from a particular barn could be sold to private companies to operate.
CAPOW
Citizens Act to Protect Our Water
No More Parking
Meter Deals
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
Clare Tobin (773) 275-7946