05/06/05 - Embracing Competition as a Policy Tool

May 6, 2005

by Geoffrey F. Segal

Governor Bush has taken a lot of flak for his strong support of making government compete with the private sector.  During his tenure, more than 120 projects ranging from prison food service to maintenance in state parks have been initiated, saving the state millions of dollars while simultaneously improving services.

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Point-of-View

• 2008 Sept - Government Policies Encouraged Wall Street's Risky Business
• 2008 July - Paying $224 Million for an Omaha Stake Won't Protect Florida from Fiscal Disaster
• 2008 July - Will Emissions Rules Give Floridians Sticker Shock?
• 2008 July - Thanking Milton Friedman
• 2008 May - Letter to the Editor: Regarding "The Business of Green"
• 2008 April - How a Minor Storm Could Bankrupt Florida
• 2008 January - Evacuation Disaster: Insurers Fleeing Florida
• 2007 October--Renewable Energy Policy: Not as Good as It Sounds
• 2007 August - "Bad Idea: Tobacco Tax to Fund Health Care"
• 2007 June - JMI Is a Nonpartisan Institute
• 2007 June - Florida's Real Insurance Crisis Lies Ahead
• 2007 June - Georgia City's Experiment Shows How Florida Cities Could Cut Costs
• 2007 May - A Proposal for Property Tax Reform
• 2007 May - Hometown Democracy Amendment Threatens Economoby, Property Rights, Affordable Housing
• 2007 May - Reforming Medicaid's Disability Coverage
• 2007 May - Save Medicaid Reform from Crib Death
• 2007 April - Federal Urge to Meddle Reaches College Campus
• 2007 March - Court's Blown Call Caused Property Tax Woes
• 2007 February - Rx for Florida's Health Care Malaise
• 2007 January - Mr. Governor, Don't Go Wobbly on Education
• 2007 January - Tax & Budget Panel: Opportunities & Risks
• December 2006 - Bring Competition to Cable TV in Florida
• December 2006 - Coming to Florida: A Rare Chance to Reform Taxes & Spending
• December 2006 -- From Gushers to Trickles: Aging of Oil Fields Could Spell Disaster
• November 2006 - Life after Amendment 8
• November 2006 - Private Property Rights: "Slamming the Door on Kelo"
• October 2006 - For My Successor: Five Lessons I Learned as Governor
• October 2006 - Tallahassee's Uncertain Road to Economic Growth
• September 2006 - First Rumblings of a Property-Tax Revolt
• September 2006 - From Gushers to Trickles: Aging of Oil Fields Could Spell Disaster
• August 2006 - Pre-K Choice: The Next Target of Voucher Foes?
• August 2006 - Dropouts' Lament: Schooling Lacks Relevance, Fun
• August 2006 - For Schools: Spend More or Spend More Wisely?
• July 2006 - Soaking the Poor to Aid the Rich
• July 2006 - The NEA's Unrepresentative Assembly
• June 2006 - Is Anti-Wal-Mart Legislation Good for Us?
• June 2006 - Your Private Property Rights: Safer, but . . .
• May 2006 - Florida's Innovative Medicaid Project
• May 2006 - Massachusetts Health Plan Deserves Mixed Reviews
• April 2006 - Reform Social Security to Tame a Tsunami of Red Ink
• April 2006 - Why Florida Needs "Paycheck Protection"
• 03/20/06 - Why Government Is Hungry All the Time
• March 2006 - Doctors Fleeing Florida's Sue-Happy Lawyers
• March 2006 - Reward Teachers for Superior Performance
• 02/07/06 - Business Has Issues for the 2006 Legislature
• February 2006 - Florida Spends More, Not Less, on Education
• February 2006 - Floridians Misinformed on School Spending
• February 2006 - Riviera Beach Tiff Shows
• 01/26/06 - Now's the Time for Florida to Cap Government Spending
• January 2006 - Court Erred in Voucher Ruling
• 12/28/05 - More Bad Math From The Teachers Union
• 12/01/05 - Medicaid Plan Saves Money, Improves Care, Curbs Fraud
• 11/29/05 - A Better Approach to Hurricane Recovery
• 11/22/05 - Gulf Drilling Can Help Florida's Environment
• 11/07/05 - Floridians' Property Rights Need Added Protection
• 10/27/05 - TABOR: A Name You'll Be Hearing
• 10/25/05 - Low Taxes Can Keep Florida's Economy Humming
• 10/17/05 - If Power Corrupts, What About Unions?
• 09/16/05 - Happy Constitution Day, America
• 09/06/05 - Public Employee Unions: 'Political Kryptonite'
• 08/30/05 - Florida Taxpayers and the Plucked Goose
• 08/24/05 - Could 'Blight" Happen to You?
• 08/17/05 - It's Time to Fight 'Judicial Imperialism'
• 07/20/05 - Florida's Growth Management Follies
• 07/05/05 - Property Rights Are Basic to Liberty and They're Under Attack
• 06/29/05 - Property Rights Battle Now Shifts to the States
• 06/05/05 - School Choice: The Civil Rights Issue of the 21st Century
• 05/31/05 - Showdown on School Vouchers
• 05/24/05 - State Taxpayers Need Lasting Protection
• 05/06/05 - Embracing Competition as a Policy Tool
• 04/25/05 - Improve Medicaid Quality with Market Reforms
• 04/22/05 - Inclusionary Housing: What the Research Tells Us
• 04/19/05 - Governor Bush's Medicaid Proposal: A Bold Step in the Right Direction
• 04/07/05 - Health: Public vs. Personal
• 03/21/05 - E-Tail vs. Retail? Five Reasons To Ax Florida's Proposed Internet Tax
• 03/17/05 - Can Florida Afford Tax Cuts?
• 03/17/05 - How -- and Why -- Should Florida's Sales Tax Exemptions be Reviewed?
• 03/01/05 - Competing Improves Government
• 01/18/05 - Offshoring Crusade Washed Up
• 01/18/05 - School Choice and the Blaine Game
• 01/18/05 - Government Should Take Inventory and Have a Garage Sale
• 01/18/05 - Now is the Time to Repeal Florida's Intangibles Tax
• 12/13/04 - Florida's Pre-K Quandry
• 12/02/04 - The Public Gains When Government Embraces Competition
• 10/29/04 - School Choice Revving Up
• 10/21/04 - Raising Florida's Minimum Wage: A Solution in Search of a Problem
• 10/21/04 - S-9 Lawsuit's Damage Could Rival That from This Year's Storms
• 10/21/04 - To Save Florida's Fiscal Future, Voters Must Stop High-Speed Rail
• 04/23/03 - The Right Answer Is Both Simple and Difficult: Understanding Florida's Medical Malpractice Problem
• 04/02/03 - Charter Schools: Bringing Accountability To This Popular Program
• 01/13/03 - It's Been Said Before, But Government Needs Reminding: Nothing In Life is Free
• 12/09/02 - Increasing Productivity in Florida's Public Schools: An Alternative to Increased Spending
• 11/15/02 - Dwindling Membership, Failed Election Scheme Make FEA Irrelevant
• 11/04/02 - Palm Beach House race is a case out of TV's Columbo
• 08/30/02 - Labor Day: Fewer and Fewer Labor Union Members Share the History
• 08/23/02 - Teacher Union Bureaucrats Paid Eight Times More Than Teachers They Claim to Represent
• 08/15/02 - Just Say 'No' to Petition Initiatives
• 08/15/02 - Mr. Mack Steps to the Plate
• 08/12/02 - House of Twelve...A New Branch of Government
• 08/12/02 - Proposed Sales Tax Amendment Should Not be Passed
• 08/08/02 - Be Careful... You Might Not Get What You Wish For
• 08/06/02 - Judge Rules: Protecting Union Teachers More Important Than Protecting Children
• 08/01/02 - Paying For Smaller Classes: Considering the Options
• 07/24/02 - Lying About Infrastructure Costs: Implications for Florida High-Speed Rail
• 07/15/02 - Teachers Union Selling Out Its Members in Constitutional Amendment Drive
• 07/03/02 - Good Job, Dr. Gainous. Bad Job, FAMU Board
• 07/02/02 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice
• 06/27/02 - Those With Nothing to Hide Have Nothing to Fear
• 06/20/02 - Falling For the Teachers Union
• 06/13/02 - Transit's 40-Year Record Low
• 06/06/02 'Sensitizing' Shakespeare
• 05/28/02 - Using Vice to Fund Something Virtuous
• 05/21/02 - Goodbye to All That
• 05/16/02 - Florida Needs to Take Two Steps Forward on Health Care Reform
• 04/18/02 - The Florida Legislature Can Help the State's Economy by Implementing the Federal Bonus Depreciation Allowance
• 03/19/02 - What the Oscars Can Teach Florida Lawmakers
• 03/15/02 - Seeking Conservative Solutions to Government Spending
• 03/06/02 - The Nature of Our Enemy
• 02/13/02 - Florida's New Chief Financial Officer
• 02/13/02 - Free Market Principles and Leaner, More Efficient Government Cornerstone to Reorganization
• 01/31/02 - Insuring Proper Policy Consideration in Tax Reform Efforts
• 01/25/02 - Florida Energy 2020: Is it Deregulation or Musical Chairs?
• 01/24/02 - Pork of a Different Sort
• 01/04/02 - A Partnership With Florida
• 02/01/02 - High-Speed Rail: All Are Not Aboard!
• 12/21/00 - Lawsuits or Legislation?
• 10/13/00 - Would You Want a Train In Your Backyard?
• 09/19/00 - Workforce Deficiencies: Let Free Labor Markets Work out the Problem of Labor Supply and Quality
• 09/01/00 - Chicken Little Meets Nostradamus
• 06/05/00 - If You Care About Education, Read This
• 05/26/00 - With a Heart and a Head, Bush Can Have It Both Ways
• 04/26/00 - Some Thoughts on an Easter to Remember
• 04/19/00 - Calm Down, Mr. Lee. Everything is Alright
• 04/17/00 - Liberty and Freedom for One Small Child
• 01/24/00 - OSHA Releases Alligators into Sewer System
• 01/11/00 - The Internet Sales Tax
• 12/17/99 - A Christmas Bonus?
• 12/01/99 - Capital Punishment: Time is Money
• 07/30/99 - Not Another Tuition Increase!
• 07/17/99 - Drug Abuse Has Become Too Matter-of-Fact Among College Students
• 10/01/98 - What Happened to Real Science?
• 07/01/98 - Private Automobile License Tags
• 07/01/97 - Why Does the Government Want to Pick on Uncle Bert?
• 02/01/97 - Taiwan, China, and Politics in the World Trade Organization: Why Should Floridians Care?
• 10/01/96 - Is the Proposed Sugar Tax a Good Thing?
• 09/01/96 - Florida General Elections: How Much Choice Do We Really Have?
• 07/01/96 - Teen Pregnancies and Kids Living in Poverty: Should Taxpayers Do More?
• 05/01/96 - Legislature Slows Spending Machine
• 03/01/96 - Charter Schools and Political Power
• 03/01/96 - Florida's 'Bad for Business' Law is Bad for Workers Too
• 03/01/96 - What Florida's University Graduates Don't Know About History and Government
• 02/01/96 - Determining Gubenatorial Incapacity: It's Time To Reform the Florida Constitution
• 02/01/96 - Electing the Superintendent Is A Poor Way To Run Our Schools
• 02/01/96 - Property Rights and the Notion of Givings
• 01/01/96 - Economic Freedom and the Wealth of Nations
• 04/22/05 - Why Protect Car Dealers from Competition?
• 2007 March - New State Leadership: What Does the Future Hold?

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