[Superman]

Oh, and James.......perhaps you are right about AT&T. And I see you've posted a link to a Wiki page discussing rural utilities.

If you really wanted to get to the heart of the only aspect of privatization that actually makes sense, you'd focus on its tendency to draw capital. Multiple private power brokers, or water brokers, or air brokers or whatever, cannot and will not be more efficient than a true public utility. But there is something they can bring to the industry that gubmit cannot. Capital. That is what happened, ultimately in telecommunications. Might actually be a good thing. I'm not an idiot. The explosion of communications infrastructure occurred because privatization caused it to make sense for investors to vote with their dollars, infusing the industry with bazillions in development capital.

If you're looking for a defense of privatization, that's the one.