Privatization

Army Times:

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has subpoenaed Maj. Gen. George Weightman, who was fired as head of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, after Army officials refused to allow him to testify before the committee Monday.

Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and subcommittee Chairman John Tierney asked Weightman to testify about an internal memo that showed privatization of services at Walter Reed could put “patient care services… at risk of mission failure.”

Here's a simple concept for advocates of privatization: the purpose of a business is to maximize its profits, not to serve the public interest. Some businesses behave responsibly. Some don't. But government agencies should be, by definition, designed to best serve the public interest. They won't always succeed, but their odds are higher when they're not outsourcing to those who don't share that primary goal.