Sale of public assets.

For a number of years the governments of this world have sold public assets created at the past taxpayers expense to private industry.

Examples are National Telecoms Companies, National Post and Parcel services, National Rail Services, Healthcare and the like. The governments "claim" private industry will run them more efficiently and therefore more profitably. They will also claim that this is a good time to sell that asset. (Usually to make up some of the red ink that the bad governments have caused)

Logically, In public hands a company can provide good competitive services for that sector, and may often benefit from being a monopoly. Once bought the private company will want to minimize cost so that they can "quench their insatiable desire for profit". This means a drop in services, staff levels and quality. Put bluntly, if a company isn't providing high quality goods and services with public ownership, it will only get worse in private ownership.

We now have the ridiculous situation where health-care insurance companies are dictating what operations and care the patient can receive, not the patients doctors.
No wonder the insurance companies are up in arms at the Obama proposal to renew and modify the healthcare system. The health-care insurance companies have a true fear that the profits will end. Why should any company be allowed to make monster profits from the sickness and medical need of ordinary citizens. Therefore, I put healthcare insurance companies in the same category as tobacco companies and drug dealers. i.e. They make profits from the misery of others.