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I agree with you, however, how would you propose that we ensure compliance in respect to money being used for intended purposes?
by tabeth 9y ago
I agree with you, however, how would you propose that we ensure compliance in respect to money being used for intended purposes?
- cuckcuckspruce 9y agoSame way that private corporations ensure money is spent where it is intended to be spent. Fire (read: impeach/do not re-elect) those that do not their job by spending money not for its intended purpose. Discover this by regular, full, public audits. Prosecute those who commit embezzlement and larceny and send the to prison if convicted. Make them serve long prison stints with no hope of parole for having violated their position of public trust and bar them from holding public office or lobbying positions on penalty of more punitive prison time.
- sli 9y agoKinda hate to say it because of the current level of hype making it always sound buzzwordy, but a blockchain or something similar could be legitimately useful here. The issue is getting government entities to agree to strict accountability.
- thanatropism 9y agoPrivatization.
- brewdad 9y agoDidn't we give telcos a ton of money in the 90s to ensure fiber to the premises everywhere? How did that work out? Privatization still requires oversight.
- armenarmen 9y agoWe did it with phones in general and the cost of service plummeted as the quality rose.
- empthought 9y agoThat's just the telco taking credit for what microchip manufacturers have achieved.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- rayiner 9y agoFirst, we didn't do that.[1] Second, the telecoms were already privatized, so what the 90s were about was deregulation, which is different. Third, while it's true that privatization (as well as deregulation) requires oversight, it's been quite successful in other countries in the transit sector. Japan's transit sector is highly privatized, for example, and mostly unsubsidized. The EU has called for deregulation of rail service by 2020: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-strike/rail-strike-hits-france-over-preparation-for-eu-deregulation-idUSKCN0XN1AE https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-strike/rail-strike.... [1] I don't want to derail the thread, but you can search on HN for the past discussion. Also, whatever we did worked fine. Out of the G7 countries, we're #2 in fiber penetration, behind Japan.
- turc1656 9y agoThey can legally bind the revenue to expenditure purposes when they pass the spending bills. I have actually seen this in a few states and municipalities. I believe NJ passed something within the last year or two legally binding revenue from a specific tax to be spent by a certain legislative authority. If I recall, it was related to the gas tax - they increased it and they said everything must be spent by whatever government entity is responsible for highway maintenance (DOT I think?). That way there is no legal way (without another bill being passed) for politicians to use the money for some other purpose. It's still possible that the DOT squanders the money through mismanagement, but at least it would still be spent on roads and infrastructure, as intended.
- notyourday 9y agoLaws with criminal penalties.