Thursday, May 09, 2013

Privatize Almost Everything | Cato Institute

Privatize Almost Everything | Cato Institute: "The air-traffic controller fiasco last week was a perfect illustration of how almost all governments eventually turn against the citizens they are supposed to protect and serve. As The Wall Street Journal noted April 26, the Federal Aviation Administration “managed to convert a less than 4 percent budget cut into a 10 percent air traffic control cut that would delay 40 percent of flights.” This occurred despite several years of substantial budget increases for the agency, coupled with a decreasing number of flights and workload for the controllers."

"Canada’s Air Traffic Control system is run by the nonprofit corporation Nav Canada, which is separate from the government. It raises money from its customers to cover operational costs and capital investments. Unlike the U.S. system, Nav Canada is self-supporting and not subsidized.” It also has a reputation for being very well run, with state-of-the-art systems (unlike the FAA). Approximately 50 countries have now, in part or fully, privatized their air-traffic control systems — with excellent results."