Why do some people insist that government should be run like a business?

[milestogo]

They are totally different animals, with different purposes.

Trump taps Kushner to lead a SWAT team to fix government with business ideas


President Trump plans to unveil a new White House office on Monday with sweeping authority to overhaul the federal bureaucracy and fulfill key campaign promises — such as reforming care for veterans and fighting opioid addiction — by harvesting ideas from the business world and, potentially, privatizing some government functions.

The White House Office of American Innovation, to be led by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, will operate as its own nimble power center within the West Wing and will report directly to Trump. Viewed internally as a SWAT team of strategic consultants, the office will be staffed by former business executives and is designed to infuse fresh thinking into Washington, float above the daily political grind and create a lasting legacy for a president still searching for signature achievements.

“All Americans, regardless of their political views, can recognize that government stagnation has hindered our ability to properly function, often creating widespread congestion and leading to cost overruns and delays,” Trump said in a statement to The Washington Post. “I promised the American people I would produce results, and apply my ‘ahead of schedule, under budget’ mentality to the government.”

In a White House riven at times by disorder and competing factions, the innovation office represents an expansion of Kushner’s already far-reaching influence. The 36-year-old former real estate and media executive will continue to wear many hats, driving foreign and domestic policy as well as decisions on presidential personnel. He also is a shadow diplomat, serving as Trump’s lead adviser on relations with China, Mexico, Canada and the Middle East.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-taps-kushner-to-lead-a-swat-team-to-fix-government-with-business-ideas/2017/03/26/9714a8b6-1254-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.c870650ae5d2

And why does the Orange one think we need his daughter-wife's husband to fix things?

[spanone]

1. Notice. it's business men saying this.

[mulsh]

13. The only people I personally know who say this are four life long government employees. Not

one of the many very conservative business people I know has ever said "Government should be run like a business." at least to me.

Perhaps those people know more about how businesses are run than the State and Federal Attorneys, and state bureaucrats I speak of know.

One question I've asked anyone who says this is "Do you have any idea why there are distinctly different words for business and government" The reply is normal a quick attempt to change the subject.

[spanone]

15. Jared Kushners Innovative Idea: The Government Should Run More Like a Business

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/03/27/jared_kushner_to_transform_the_government_sleekly.html

Trump taps his son-in-law to run government like a business
http://www.thejournal.ie/trump-kushner-government-like-a-business-3308414-Mar2017/

[WinkyDink]

2. Because they are in a position to profit from it.

[bluescribbler]

3. I'm not going to say that more efficiency in government would be a bad thing.

We all can think of examples where government inefficiency has harmed citizens unduly. The FEMA response after Hurricane Katrina would be one such example. However, efficiency, per se, must not be the bottom line here. I believe we can all find instances where the pursuit of efficiency in government may cause harm to citizens. Asking air traffic controllers to monitor two or more incoming aircraft at a major metropolitan airport, for example, would certainly be more efficient, but also would likely lead to disaster.

[HughBeaumont]

4. Because they're dumbfucks who traded The Bible for Atlas Sharted.

Publicly-traded corporations only care about the shareholders. Mostly the major ones, i.e. wealthy people.

Some consensus has developed among scholars about the fundamental ways that running a government is different from running a business. Here are a few:

• Government is about this thing called the "public interest." There is no such animal in the private sector. Private firms care about their stakeholders and customers; they do not generally care about people who do not invest in their businesses or buy things from them. Thus, accountability is by necessity much broader in government; it is much more difficult to ignore particular groups or people.

• Private-sector performance is measured by profitability, while performance measurement in government needs to focus on the achievement of outcomes.

• Compromise is fundamental to success in the public sector. No one owns a controlling share of the government. When Gov. Rauner and the state legislature refused to negotiate, it resulted in Illinois operating without a budget for a full year. The notion of a separation of powers can be anathema to effective private management. It is central to the design of government, at least in the United States.

[rickford66]

10. The president is "our" employee vs a CEO is "our" boss.

[Orrex]

5. Either because they're idiots or because they directly stand to gain from it

The idiots buy into it because they see successful businesspeople preaching the good news about it and instead of saying "I suspect that they're trying to fatten their own wallets," the idiot says "I'm sure that they're communicating a fundamental truth."

[louis-t]

6. I don't know, but they are obsessed by it.

[Hoyt]

7. It's one thing to seek lowest price on bombs. Another to question whether we need the damn bombs.

Businesspeople might know how to "negotiate" a low price on bombs and crud. But, they don't have the foggiest idea of how to determine what is good for the people and whether we should be bombing people. Just because a lot of white wingers want to bomb Muslims, doesn't mean we have to load up on bombs and cheer because we got them at a lower price than we were paying before.

Businesspeople like Buffett or Gates might be OK. Hucksters and frauds like Trump, not so much.

[anneboleyn]

8. Some people "business worship" in capitalist societies -- they think "business" is a good model for

everything, including hospitals and government and colleges. However, there are many problems with business of course, and there are many institutions that can't and shouldn't be run like a "business."

[gratuitous]

9. Because it's a colossally bad idea that sounds good

There's a reason we don't call the government a business. That reason is it's not a business. As nincompoop President Trump found out last week, when the ACHA fell apart, there wasn't another Congress just down the road that he could work with after he'd given Congress his standard "take it or leave it" threat.

[Caliman73]

11. They just don't know any better, or don't care.

As others have said, it is a combination of ignorance and arrogance. Businesses are "efficient" typically is the answer you get from business people. Businesses have focus, purpose and aren't the slow moving mess that government can be and is. Alas, it shows their ignorance about the differences between business and government. Not to say that we should not try to take and keep inefficiencies out of government, but the focus and purpose of business is singular, to maximize profit. Your business model is set up to reduce costs, offer the best product possible, and make money. When in doubt in business, making money is the answer. Increase quality? Only if it makes money? Lay off staff? If it helps make more money? Hire staff? Only if they will make us more money than they will cost us? That is business, single minded.

Government is infinitely more complex. The goal is not making profit or money or anything. The GOALS are multiple and often competing with each other. How do you increase security for the populace while maintaining freedom and civil liberties. How do you distribute resources equitably and fairly in a capitalist economy? Do you confiscate more from the wealthier to provide for the poor? How does that work? Do you have the authority? Will people boycott and move their money? How will that affect overall growth? How quickly do we want to grow the economy while avoiding inflation? While balancing environmental concerns?

In Trump's case, he is just looking to raise his brand and increase his profits. He has no interest in helping the people of this country at all. And he is stupid.

[milestogo]

12. I think they actually teach this in the MBA programs

I had a friend who was studying for an MBA and she would always use the post office as an example of government inefficiency.

To my way of thinking, the Post Office is pretty damned efficient - delivering mail of all sizes 6 days a week to every single address in the country. Yes, I've stood in line when times were busy, but they have come up with so much self service I can't see what there is to complain about.

Different people look at the exact same thing through different lenses.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Not The One I Went To

Not one time was any such thing ever mentioned nor was it in any textbook or associated reading i did, and i had one guy who was a Heartland/Libertarian type in the advance econ class. And even he never said any such thing.

[Xolodno]

14. Well, if that's the case...

...then Bill Clinton is one of the best Presidents ever. He created government surpluses which in a business is "profit".

And that means, Reagan and both Bush's were terrible business people because they ran things into the red.

[milestogo]

17. W was the first MBA president

He sucked at everything, and gave us the 2008 recession.

[duncang]

18. I worked for a very large corp.

And it had major efficiency problems. Most of was caused by management. They wanted to micromanage everything. Or get stupid ideas that had to be done no matter what. I have seen some pretty stupid things done over the years. I have seen hundreds of thousands dollars in parts thrown away to save in the thousands of dollars range in taxes. Then have to turn around and buy the same items later in the year.

[Mr. Ected]

19. Because the RWNJ's have been repeating the same mantra for decades

And that is, that Government is incompetent and therefore needs to be dismantled.

[Johonny]

20. Given the failures of Trump's health care, he should hire someone to run his presidency

How many people would hire Jared Kushner to run their local Arby's but heyhe can transform government to work like...like what? A real estate firm or Trump university?

He is now in government and everything shows he needs people to run his government like a GOVERNMENT. Most business's agendas are steered by a few people, the government is a huge micro-society running a larger society...

[0rganism]

21. the idea of business is intuitive, while the idea of government is not

especially not for those whose minds are already darkened by Fox et al

the government prints its own money and establishes a basic set of infrastructure and regulation in which things like businesses can exist and profit for the benefit of the population. that much is straight-up difficult for certain minds to comprehend, and if you can't get past that part, you'll never get to the rest.