Every now and then, the country gets the notion of putting a businessman in the White House on the theory that “America should be run like a business.” This is totally wrong.
Response:
Businesses exist to make a profit for their shareholders. The preamble to the Constitution spells out the purpose of our government: to “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence [sic], promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” There is not a word about profit. In fact, the federal government is the only US government legally capable of operating at a deficit.
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 and also cover and protect the majority of the population if they were required to be profitable.
Why Government Should Not Be Run Like A Business
An Example of Why Gov’t Can’t Be Run Like a Business: The Postal Service