EZ Reads 4/13/11

• Via Yourish, the city that outsourced everything. This is absolutely brilliant. Sandy Springs, Georgia, broke off from Fulton County in 2005, and decided that rather than create their own services at a large expense, they would outsource it. Unsurprisingly, this resulted in a huge cost savings, as they pay a fraction to private industries to take care of their municipal needs, and are able to invest that savings into capital projects to create an efficient infrastructure. They have no long-term liabilities, have not had to raise taxes, and they have plenty of money still available. It's incredibly impressive, and is a perfect example as to how government should not only not take over services, but should outsource these services as much as possible to private companies. Since Sandy Springs started, a few other communities have incorporated similarly and are following their lead.
• Tonight is Joe Tait's last night behind the microphone at Cleveland Cavalier games. He's the best there ever was. A couple good articles here and here.
• Chana posts the transcripts from the very important symposium The Cycle of Violence: Power and Control in Relationships. An important read for anyone married, engaged, or dating.
• The Atlantic with an interesting insight into the minds of geniuses in How Genius Works, by asking a number of creative minds how they work.
• Daled Amos with a great quote on why the Palestinians may not be ready for statehood:

  Not to put too fine a point on it: if you can’t finish drafting your constitution; if your “president” is in the seventh year of his four-year term; if you have no functioning legislature and cannot hold parliamentary elections; if half your putative state is occupied by terrorists; if your education system is a cesspool of anti-Semitism; if you insist upon dedicating public squares to those who massacred civilians; if your ruling party is corroded by corruption; if you have no free press or independent judiciary; if you cannot implement anything in negotiations that you refuse to conduct in any event; and if you haven’t finished Phase I of the Roadmap . . . well, you might not be ready for a state.
  Rick Richman, All Set to Be a Failed State
  

  Unless you are talking about the state of Palestine. Well, at least the state will be financially viable--what with 60% of the GNP for the West Bank coming from the US, EU, UN and World Bank.

  Sigh.