http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/opinion/11krugman.html?th=&emc=th&page...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/opinion/11fri3.html?th&emc=th

To the editor:

The deleterious effects of outsourcing government Medicare services to
insurance companies, which Paul Krugman describes (Op-Ed, 7/11), applies
equally to other outsourcing engineered by the Bush Administration. By
outsourcing to the private sector, Bush has increased the cost of
government programs, while destroying the uniformity of performance and
benefits, and virtually eliminating accountability to the public for use
of its tax dollars. From Iraq to Katrina, this outsourcing has set new
records in government distrust and fiscal irresponsibility -- in the
name of government efficiency. Sadly, even when Bush appointees like Dr.
John Howard attempt to do their jobs (Editorial, 7/11), Bush politicos
decide they need to go in a different direction. After years of
Reaganesque ballyhoo promising market efficiency and private initiative,
this Administration of Vipers has thrown Blackwater over its own plans
to drown government in its bathtub.

Ben Burrows
406 Shoemaker Road
Elkins Park, PA 19027
215-266-2029