The Business Of Government Is Not Business

Talking with a friend the other night, and he said, "Government should be run like a business.  We need a business person to run the country."  And didn't I agree?

(First, I had to establish that he was not suggesting that Donald Trump be president.  No, he was not a fan of the bragadocious blowhard.  Good!)

But based on the real, underlying meaning of such statements, no, I don't agree, not really.

Business principles come into play at any level of government, and should -- they're not mutually exclusive.  But they're not the same thing either.  Business and government exist in different realms and perform different functions.  Business sells products and services at a profit and accumulates capital and equity.  Government sets public policy for a society, and makes decisions and laws toward that end.

If you're looking for a hard-charging CEO-type to take charge, kick ass, break the log-jam and get shit done, forget it.  You're seeking a king or a dictator, and our system of government simply doesn't permit it.

That leaves two other interpretations of government should be like business.

1.  You believe government -- any government -- is, by definition, always too big, too inefficient, too wasteful.  This is the popular pablum famously dished out by Reagan, lapped up by lamebrains and taken to new extremes by the Norquistian Tea Baggers who want to shrink it, slash it, cut it, privatize it, drown it in a bathtub, etc.

2.  You feel that government isn't handing out enough goodies to business.  Corporate America must have more tax cuts and subsidies, and fewer rules and regulations in order to survive.  In this theory, the business of government is business.  Government's role is to ensure business profits and make things as easy as possible for business.  Welfare, no.  Corporate welfare, yes!

Our government is big and sometimes inefficient, but hey, it's a big country.  I can tolerate a little waste in exchange for all the things our tax dollars provide for all of us, especially for the least fortunate among us.

And business does not need more "help" from government.  Business likes it, wants it, will take it, but does not need it.  The endless calls for "business friendly" this-and-that are ransom notes.  Business needs to take responsibility for its own success and quit whining about the goddam gummint.  If your business really can't hack it without a 0% tax rate and slave wages, it's not the government's fault.