( – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

At some point if we keep hearing of the so-called glory of privatization, they are going to have to show some results.  Well, how about these results from Lawrence Livermore Labs:

With a new corporate manager at the helm, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory has entered a period of uncertainty unlike any other in its 55-year history with the University of California, putting employees on edge and threatening to erode the labs technical prowess.

The federal government predicted that adding private industry to the management mix would result in more science for the same money. Instead, higher costs led to 500 layoffs shortly after the new managements transition in October, confirming the worst suspicions of some and further roiling the labs once-comfortable culture.

That optimistic assessment stands in stark contrast to the reality on the ground at Livermore lab today. Eight weeks after the new company took the reins, the change from a public entity to a private company has resulted in $130 million in increased costs. And potential federal budget cuts to the tune of $150 million could necessitate as many as 300 more job cuts as soon as January.(TriValley Herald 12.9.07)

It seems the constant threat of layoffs and benefit cuts isn’t really the kind of culture that sought-after scientists enjoy. I can’t imagine why?

The federal government under the Bush administration, and to a lesser extent the Governator, have been doing just about everything possible to convince us that private industry will cure all that ails us. Yet where are the results of all of this grandiose talk?