Running government like a business

I've noticed that in recent election cycles many politicians tout their business backgrounds. They promise to “run government like a business” -as if that's a good thing.

I submit that the problem with government is that it is run too much like a business.

How's a big business run? First of all it's run for the benefit of the investors. In government that would be all the people who've donated lots of money to politicians. They expect and do get a nice return on their investment.

In business the people at the top do much better than the average worker. There again, Presidents, Senators, and Congressmen do much better than the average citizen.

Business tries to maximize profit. If they can ignore environment and labor laws to do so, no problem. Now imagine big business in charge of environment and labor laws. No wonder the middle class is losing ground and environmental damage is rampant.

Government has the potential to be even worse than big business. It has a monopoly. If you don't like the value you are getting from your tax dollar, you can't subscribe to the services of another government. Monopolies can charge top dollar for shabby products, pay terrible wages, and provide horrible service. Got that. Worse of all, governments have a monopoly on violence. They control the military and the police. Imagine if Comcast had the power to physically beat up customers. Don't think they wouldn't use that power.

War is just a way of competing with other businesses/governments. We are fighting for market share all around the world.

How about voting? That's just shaking up the membership of the board. It might change some of the policies, but doesn't change the fact the “business” exists for the benefit of the “investors.”

Business is a terrible model for government. We can do better. How about treating government like running a tribe? Our lands must sustain our tribe for many generations. Each member of the tribe is valued. The young and old are taken care of and treasured. There are better ways to live than the way we live now.

-Sixbears