[Speed Gibson,
Sunday December 12, 2004 at 2:43pm]
Grab Your Wallets!
Wow, People's Republic of Minnesota wasn't kidding about the major assault on our wallets and our common sense by Minneapolis Star Tribune today (Dec 12 Op Ex). There's really nothing new in any of these articles, just the usual excuses for raising taxes.
I wonder: does the Star Tribune have a conflict of interest here?
By definition, public sector money is spent more "publicly" than private money. Even without the usual attendant mismanagement of those funds, there' s usually a fair amount of news that's fit to print. Money spent by companies and private charities is, well, a bit boring by comparison, and requires much more work by journalists.
Suppose we go back in time when inflation-adjusted per capita state and local taxes were half what they are today. I in fact have an old Minneapolis Star from those days, and it's quite different. It has many small, concise articles about largely small matters, because government had such a much smaller role in our lives.
For example, when the Minneapolis Public Schools falter, many headlines follow. And falter they must it seems, given the lack of accountability we currently allow most of our public agencies.
But suppose there were no public schools in Minneapolis, replaced by numerous private schools who compete for public vouchers controlled by the parents. There might be a problem here and there, but the free market would solve most of them before the newspaper even could be made aware of them.
So, I contend that yes, the Star Tribune does benefit from a larger public sector.
I wonder: does the Star Tribune have a conflict of interest here?
By definition, public sector money is spent more "publicly" than private money. Even without the usual attendant mismanagement of those funds, there' s usually a fair amount of news that's fit to print. Money spent by companies and private charities is, well, a bit boring by comparison, and requires much more work by journalists.
Suppose we go back in time when inflation-adjusted per capita state and local taxes were half what they are today. I in fact have an old Minneapolis Star from those days, and it's quite different. It has many small, concise articles about largely small matters, because government had such a much smaller role in our lives.
For example, when the Minneapolis Public Schools falter, many headlines follow. And falter they must it seems, given the lack of accountability we currently allow most of our public agencies.
But suppose there were no public schools in Minneapolis, replaced by numerous private schools who compete for public vouchers controlled by the parents. There might be a problem here and there, but the free market would solve most of them before the newspaper even could be made aware of them.
So, I contend that yes, the Star Tribune does benefit from a larger public sector.