All not well at Camelot

[Pryderi]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/opinion/letters_to_editor/all-not-well-at-camelot/article_5307970d-fd2e-5e31-80c0-872ded6e8bd2.html

While the Corbett Administration works to finalize a contract that would put our 41-year-old Lottery under the managerial control of a private British firm, disturbing revelations have emerged.

While Camelot Global Services officials recently traveled from England to appear at hearings in Harrisburg to make glowing pronouncements about how the Lottery would thrive under their leadership, problems have plagued the company at home.

The Camelot brass proclaimed that they were confident they could reach new sales heights for our Lottery, yet they were recently compelled to raise ticket prices at home.

While in a Harrisburg hearing room, Camelot's leaders offered assurances that they would likely be able to offer jobs to nearly all 230 Pennsylvania Lottery workers. Yet a United Kingdom news source revealed that the company laid off 80 staff people in England a few years ago and closed numerous regional centers.

The story goes on to point out that while Camelot was laying off their workers, they were handing millions of dollars in bonuses to their senior staff executives.

[Laelth]

1. Inherent government functions should not be privatized.

Why subsidize a bunch of wealthy people when the state could do the job itself without any profit motive?

-Laelth

[Curmudgeoness]

2. There is nothing new under the sun.

As with all of these "for profit" companies, this one has no new way to do business. Same as always---lay off workers, close offices or stores, raise prices---and give big bonuses to the people who are congratulating themselves for a job well done.