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I keep hearing Trump supporters touting his business experience as evidence he would make a good president. Setting aside whether or not Trump is a worthwhile businessman, there is a serious flaw in the assumption that being a leader in the private sector can translate to the work in the public sector. There is actually a really good Forbes article on this topic...
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Does it make sense to run government like a business? The short answer is no. Bear in mind, first, that “efficiency” in the private sector means profit. Hence, to ask that the government be run like a business is tantamount to asking that the government turn a profit. The problem in a nutshell, is that not everything that is profitable is of social value and not everything of social value is profitable. Reality TV, pornography, fashion, sports, and gambling are all of questionable social value, but each is quite profitable and exists in the private sector. Meanwhile, few would argue that the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, police department, fire department, libraries, parks, and public schools are of no social value, and yet they could not exist if they were required to be profitable.
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