It is not enough, however, to say that only Parsons dropped the ball. As with so many privatization disasters, the ball wouldn't have rolled so far away had state officials diligently monitored the contract. There are plenty of good arguments to be made about privatization, both pro and con. Either way, outsourcing should never be viewed as the soap with which government officials wash their hands of complex issues. She got it a little bit too late.
Government officials can privatize services.
But they can't privatize accountability. Christopher Swope is a staff writer for Governing Magazine. Inc. Reproduction in any form without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited.