John Doolittle: “I listened. I have friends on both sides of this debate, and I happen to be on one of the sides, but it is almost as if…”

“I listened. I have friends on both sides of this debate, and I happen to be on one of the sides, but it is almost as if we were debating two completely different sets or had two different sets of facts because the representations are so dramatically opposite. I would just observe, if my colleagues think about it, when has not privatization resulted, or competition, in a lowering of costs? I mean, we know that has been the case in the electricity industry. We know it has been the case in a number of other industries, transportation. We have seen it dramatically displayed, and countries all across this world are racing toward competition and privatization. But I am reminded when I hear the opponents oppose this amendment, all this amendment does is strike out some bad language that was inserted in the underlying bill. We know that privatization and competition result in a lowering of costs. Indeed, the Pentagon's own Defense Science Board has estimated that public-private competition will produce taxpayer savings of 20 to 30 percent regardless of whether public depots or private industry win the competition.”