Running the Government as if It Were a Business 2

A common bleat amongst conservatives of a certain stripe is that the government–any government at every level–should be run like a business. Without analysis, this seems to make sense.

But what is the purpose of a business:

My take is that the purpose of a business is to provide a needed (or wanted) good or service, while making a profit so as to continue to provide that good or service and provide a reasonable return to the owners or shareholders. There’s more to it than just making money. Bucket shops make money, and bucket shops are illegal; they are illegal because they do not provide a good or service.

The purpose of government is different. The Founders expressed it probably as well as it has ever been expressed in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America:

. . . to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity

This is inherently not a profit-making endeavor. A government does well if it breaks even. And the return to the shareholders (if I may use that term to represent the citizens–oh, well, I’m going to do it anyway) is freedom and security.

So from the notion that a government should be run like a business fails from the start.

Now, there is this much truth: the principles of management–of how to get things done and how to lead people are the same in government, business, or any other organization: having clear goals; planning how to reach those goals; treating employees and customers (or citizens) fairly, openly, and honestly; behaving ethically; keeping one’s word, selecting staff based on competence and achievement–those are immutable.

Now let us consider the current Federal Administration:

Lies, duplicity, underhandedness.

They say one thing and do another.

For example

Bush says, “Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talking about getting a court order before we do so. It’s important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.”

And Bush says “that he allowed the NSA ‘to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations.'”

And they do: . . . the number of Americans subject to eavesdropping by the NSA could be in the millions if the full range of secret NSA programs is used.

They say they are looking out for the financial welfare of the nation, while running up the deficit and selling off the treasure of the country to the highest bidder.

Yes, they are running the government like a business.

A Texas business.

The CEO believes he can do whatever he can do, regardless of the rules.

He and his staff break the law and claim they are obeying it.
Yeah, I know I’ve used the link before, but it’s powerful enough to warrant it.

No, that’s not right. They say many things, and do many others.

Employee loyalty is more important than integrity and honesty.

They hide their actions from the sharehol–citizens.

And they lie when confronted.

They are running the country like a Texas business.

Enron.

A business based on self-aggrandizement of the CEO, grown in duplicity, fertilized in fraud, and nurtured on lies.

And soon we will be saying what Enron says on its website:

(The United States of America) is in the midst of restructuring various businesses for distribution as ongoing companies to its creditors and liquidating its remaining operations . . .

. . . while watching our Chief Executive continue to deny the rules apply to him, as they do to others.