Why Can’t Government Be Run Like a Business?
“Budget-Conscious” Conservatives have been promoting the idea that “government should be run more like a business” for as long as I can remember. Washington is rife with waste and inefficiency. A bloated national budget and a preponderance of regulatory red tape are choking economic growth and stifling progress.
If a “businessman” were in charge, he (it’s always a he) would apply “sound business practices” and put things right. The wheels of government would then run a lot smoother — if not cheaper.
The term, “run like a business” evokes images of spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and neat rows of data, poured over by a visionary CEO and his cadre of analytical Managers, dispassionately maximizing efficiency for the common good. They would be “tough but fair” as they weighed the cost/benefits of each program, allocating resources free from emotional or political concerns, making the United States a more prosperous, and yes, even happy nation.
If only…
With Donald Trump, corporate America has supposedly gotten what it always wanted — no nonsense, get it done, Corporate Executive in Chief. You know, the guy on “The Apprentice.” Unfortunately, outside of the country’s countless MBA programs, most businesses are not run like the paragon of informed objectivity described above.
Most businesses are run by an autocratic, self-absorbed, “my way or the highway,” leader, who has gotten where he or she is by luck, guile, and listening to their gut. (Is that fire in the belly ambition, or a food truck burrito?)
Most businesses hire teams of lawyers to cover their tracks so they can avoid the consequences of their actions when they’re caught doing something illegal—and, just for fun, to harass their competitors whenever possible.
Most businesses treat Employees, not as assets, but as a necessary evil needed to get things done. They are all considered overhead, replaceable as soon as a more “economical option” comes along.
Most businesses see the public as something to be exploited. The driving principle of capitalism is to give your customers the minimum needed to keep them loyal, while charging them as much as you can get away with.
Most businesses are only concerned with their ROI, Return on Investment, keeping their shareholders happy.
Substitute the current Administration’s behavior toward the Justice Department, The Cabinet, Voters and Donors/PACs/Putin. Does any of that sound familiar?
The Conservative dream has finally come true. Donald Trump IS running the government the way he ran his business. But while the GOP is patting itself on the back for putting one over on the American public, please remember.
Most businesses fail.