I know some will point out that you can bargain and seek the best deals. However, I call that a free-market pipe dream (as in the hashish type). I know for a fact that buying something like health insurance is much cheaper via an group employer plan/premiums than it is outright privately. In fact the premiums were almost double, the coverage half, and the co-pays/deductibles almost double.
The next argument is that citizens would form their own groups. I don't buy that either for a few reasons. When you do find a group, there are usually fees associated with joining it. Even when accounting for the so called purchasing power of groups, I have yet to see a 'group' as big as the government - which has the ultimate in purchasing power. So the costs of services/items just aren't as cheap as the prices the government can get - cronyism not withstanding. Not everyone would be able to join these groups so they would be left out on their own - think uninsured medical patients, they pay more for the same procedures/services.
Comparing the private sector groups with the government. When was the last time you saw a government official with a $30,000,000 golden parachute. So really who is more wasteful?
The next argument is that service from the government sucks. To counter, I point you to consumerist.com. That site is awash with stories corporations big and small that regularly abuse customers: Why would any service purchasing group be different? Hello early termination fees!! I imagine any service buying group would have fees like cell phone companies. Basically the whole customer service notion is another one of those free-market pipe dreams, killed by the bottom line, the quarterly expectation, golden parachutes, or employees you can't fire.
If you want an example of a free market economy where the citizens do pay for all their services from private companies, look south my friend, Mexico. That is a prime example of what really happens in a totally free market.
One example: Did you know that in Mexico, if you discontinue your land line phone service the wires are pulled out of your walls. If you want phone service again, you have to pay $900 (that was 10 years ago) to get the phone line rerun to your house and the wires put back in.
It is really worth considering what on-your-ownership would be like. And that is on top of all the serve yourself elements already in the ironically named service economy. Columnist Ellen Goodman has written columns about this problem. We have been told this is a "service economy." But it seems the only "service" is what we do ourselves.
We already have volunteer rescue and fire departments!!!!!!! That's right.
We are our own IT consultants and troubleshooters, or own installers, our own painters (hiring one costs too much--and we are getting too old to be climbing on ladders, but we do it anyway because we must).
How many hours on tech support hotlines have you spent? In one two year period, I spent over 60 hours just with one (internet) company (which I finally dumped--turned out it was the equipment's fault and they were blaming me). Did I mention the "tech support" was useless? And I don't have to tell you it was "outsourced."
We have to study about our own health care and manage it (in consultation with our doctors). The knowledge required of a modern patient is staggering. No longer can we just ask the doc what to do and then do it. We have to take responsibility for "choices," for balancing risk of various treatments and medications. The doc cannot remember all the reasons why we don't do this or that or why one medication didn't work and another caused unacceptable side effects. We must.
We absolutely have to. We are are own Kathy-the-Plumbers (with no apologies to the supposed plumber, Joe).
Change our own oil, wash our own cars. No housecleaning services for us. I don't mind. But what about when we cannot? We must study every single decision we make, however small. Are the tires we buy safe enough? Does the repair record of our proposed new car purchase justify the cost? Fuel efficiency?
We are are own DJs and record producers (you re too if you donwload). We are our own typists. Remember when many teachers and professionals had typists? WE have no credible movie reviews in our newspaper so we must study them on our own.
Trim my own hair between cuts.
We now must be our own travel planners, financial experts (managing our own retirement--and having to deal with lying and manipulative annual reports that we cannot believe). This doesn't count the on-your-ownership when sXXX hit the fan on Wall St., as it has recently. Yeh, that kind of on-your-ownership really bites.
We don't go out to dinner much at all. Too expensive and too loaded with trans fat or large amounts of other "bad fats." Gourmet cooking is our responsibility).
Recycling takes time. We must study the ins and outs of recycling. You have to know what will go and what won't (so we don't "spoil a load.")
If you live in a small town, you are even your own buyer. There are so few "choices" for us that we have to find what we need online.
AND none of the above begins to touch all the time that is and will be required in service of those harmed by the GOP induced loss of services. They want to just let everyone "do for themselves," in their total ignorance of economies of scale and the buying power of groups.
If they had their way, we won't even be able to afford water anymore. In places where water is privatized, water bills go up at least 4 times (i.e., 400%).
Trash pick up costs have skyrocketed with the advent of private haulers with non-compete bids.
We don't get the news we need to function in our nation's politics, so we have to research that for ourselves too.
Workers face longer work days. Parents have to spend more time supervising kids' homework. Lots of parents are opting for home schooling because schools are failing. How much more on-your-ownership can we take?
And yet the GOP still wants more. We are going to have to pitch in more than any of us can remember ever having to do. So many of our fellow citizens are falling through the one-time safety net.
It is getting old.