• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

If you think that the government should be run as a business...

Jason Warfield

DP Veteran
Joined
Jun 2, 2019
Messages
4,142
Reaction score
3,276
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Liberal
Then you are pretty close to being a socialist.

If you take the actual, economic theory of socialism...and not what OAN, or Tucker or FOX want you to think it is...then you will realize that running the government as a business is the last thing you would want to happen...
 
Then you are pretty close to being a socialist.

If you take the actual, economic theory of socialism...and not what OAN, or Tucker or FOX want you to think it is...then you will realize that running the government as a business is the last thing you would want to happen...
A socialist, not a capitalist?
 
Then you are pretty close to being a socialist.

If you take the actual, economic theory of socialism...and not what OAN, or Tucker or FOX want you to think it is...then you will realize that running the government as a business is the last thing you would want to happen...

Let me see if I understand.

So if you think that the government should be run as a business, then you are pretty much a Socialist. But you are saying that being a Socialist would be bad, because if you look at the actual economic theory of Socialism, not what OAN, Tucker and Fox want you to think, but the actual economic theory, Socialism is actually the last thing you would want to have happen.

Is that actually what you were trying to say? Are you thinking that OAN, Tucker and FOX want people to think that Socialism is good?
 
Just how SHOULD government be run?
 
Government cannot be run like a business, because market transactions are voluntarily, whereas the state relies on violence and coercion.
 
Government cannot be run like a business, because market transactions are voluntarily, whereas the state relies on violence and coercion.
And we never see business use that leverage of the law you damn the government for making.
 
If the government was run like a business all parts would need to make a profit.

Please explain how the fire department or the armed forces can make a profit?
 
If the government was run like a business all parts would need to make a profit.

Please explain how the fire department or the armed forces can make a profit?
The fire department and armed services provide services to the member-owners.

The member-owners pay taxes in exchange for those services.
 
Then you are pretty close to being a socialist.

If you take the actual, economic theory of socialism...and not what OAN, or Tucker or FOX want you to think it is...then you will realize that running the government as a business is the last thing you would want to happen...
No…. State capitalism is still capitalism. Get some economic theory :rolleyes:
 
If the government was run like a business all parts would need to make a profit.

Please explain how the fire department or the armed forces can make a profit?
Non-profits don't make a profit and yet are run as a business.
 
Non-profits don't make a profit and yet are run as a business.

Government can't be run as a business as it has to do things that no business would ever do.
It also has to regulate business and set the rules that business has to run by.
Government needs to be above business so as to not show favour or pick winners.
 
Such as?
Businesses do that all the time.
Why?

The government can set the laws for a start. No company has that power.
The government has to worry about everyone and not just its employees.

No government in the world is run like a business, I wonder why.
 
The government can set the laws for a start. No company has that power.

Laws are just rules. Companies have rules.

The government has to worry about everyone and not just its employees.

The government has to worry about its member-owners, just like a member-owned company has to worry about its member-owners.

No government in the world is run like a business, I wonder why.

Every government in the world is run like a business. And like businesses, some are run better than others.
 
Government can't be run as a business as it has to do things that no business would ever do.
It also has to regulate business and set the rules that business has to run by.
Government needs to be above business so as to not show favour or pick winners.
Bunk. First government can't be like business because they can't make a profit, then you talk about government being above business so as to not show favor or pick winners, and yet that is what governments often do. Government also can set rules and then exempt itself from those rules--whether it relates to business practices or labor laws.

Getting back to your first sentence, what things does government do that no business would ever do? I'll throw one in, how about operating a service at a loss for decades. Sure, I'll give you that one, but please do provide a few examples.
 
Bunk. First government can't be like business because they can't make a profit, then you talk about government being above business so as to not show favor or pick winners, and yet that is what governments often do. Government also can set rules and then exempt itself from those rules--whether it relates to business practices or labor laws.

Getting back to your first sentence, what things does government do that no business would ever do? I'll throw one in, how about operating a service at a loss for decades. Sure, I'll give you that one, but please do provide a few examples.

Actually many companies operate whole departments at a loss for decades if they're loss leaders and get customers to buy other products by them with high-profit margins.
Please show a single government that is run like a company.
 
If the government was run like a business all parts would need to make a profit.

Please explain how the fire department or the armed forces can make a profit?
Not a profit, a surplus, or break even.
 
Not a profit, a surplus, or break even.

The US could run at break even if taxes were rolled back to previous higher levels. Would the rich all flee if they're asked to pay 1980's tax levels?
 
The US could run at break even if taxes were rolled back to previous higher levels. Would the rich all flee if they're asked to pay 1980's tax levels?
No, the US could break even if spending was cut back. Tax revenue in 2021 is at a record level. A lack of revenue isn't the problem.
 
Actually many companies operate whole departments at a loss for decades if they're loss leaders and get customers to buy other products by them with high-profit margins.
Please show a single government that is run like a company.
Please define "run like a company", because everyone all have employees, they engage in transactions, they have accounts payables/receivables, they provide services, they create products (licenses). What government doesn't do these things?

Loss leaders are a marketing strategy and "whole departments at a loss for decades" in business has consequences, I agree that government doesn't seem to have consequences.
 
Please define "run like a company", because everyone all have employees, they engage in transactions, they have accounts payables/receivables, they provide services, they create products (licenses). What government doesn't do these things?

Loss leaders are a marketing strategy and "whole departments at a loss for decades" in business has consequences, I agree that government doesn't seem to have consequences.

How are "whole departments at a loss" being measured? By what metric do you measure whether a janitorial department is operating at a loss or not? If a Homeowners Association decides to hire landscapers for their condominium complex, how is it determined whether this new landscaping department is operating at a loss or not?
 
How are "whole departments at a loss" being measured? By what metric do you measure whether a janitorial department is operating at a loss or not? If a Homeowners Association decides to hire landscapers for their condominium complex, how is it determined whether this new landscaping department is operating at a loss or not?
I have my answer, but I didn't bring up whole departments, ask the other feller.
 
Consider government as a fourth factor of production. This was the advice of Simon Patten, the first professor of Economics at the Wharton School of Business.

Instead of considering government spending as a deadweight cost, Patten argued that government increased prosperity by creating infrastructure like canals and railroads, a postal service, and public education.

Taxes would become 'burdenless' if invested in public internal improvements that lower the cost of living and doing business for consumers and suppliers alike.

https://michael-hudson.com/2011/10/simon-patten-on-public-infrastructure-and-economic-rent-capture/
 
Then you are pretty close to being a socialist.

If you take the actual, economic theory of socialism...and not what OAN, or Tucker or FOX want you to think it is...then you will realize that running the government as a business is the last thing you would want to happen...
It feels like you're mistaking Socialism with Authoritarianism.
 
It feels like you're mistaking Socialism with Authoritarianism.

Socialism has to be imposed on people by force. Doesn't matter if it's being imposed by a ruthless dictator or a democratically elected legislature, in the end you have to use force and violence in order to coerce people to comply with the central plan.
 
Back
Top Bottom