February 15, 2008 (LPAC)-- With the demise of the speculative bubble, financiers are now scrambling to get in on the privatization of government infrastructure, with 72 new funds established over the past 15 months; these funds intend to raise some $120 billion for infrastructure buyouts. In 2007, some $30 billion was raised internationally by 19 firms for infrastructure buy-outs.

The people behind these funds expect to grab a slice of the income streams from privatized infrastructure projects as a way to survive in the post-bubble world, and are supporting the "Rebuilding America's Future" coalition fronted by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, whose thinly denied presidential campaign is intended to promote Mussolini-style corporatism in the United States as a way to weaken government and gouge the public. Steering these neo-fascist projects from behind the scenes are George Shultz and Felix Rohatyn.

The leading players worldwide are the Anglo-Australian Macquarie Infrastructure Group, interlinked with the Spain-based Cintra/Ferrovial firm, Halliburton, France's Suez, plus Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Bros, and a few others. Their choice takeovers to date include highways and airports, but also long-term rights to whole school system properties, municipal cleaning services and other government functions, especially military. A few examples, besides highways:

SCHOOLS. In 2006, a 30-year Private Initiative Contract was awarded for 400 billion pounds to build, refurbish, maintain and operate all the schools in Bradford, England, to a consortium involving Ferrovial.

AIRPORTS. Among those privatized in part or whole by Ferrovial, are Heathrow in London; Sydney, Australia; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Niagara Falls, New York, and many others.