On the surface, "run the country like a business" is an anodyne phrase; most people just hear "fiscal conservatism."
But ... what is the signal feature of private businesses? They are strictly hierarchical autocracies! Every single one is a mini-dictatorship! That's the deeper appeal of the slogan.
But ... what is the signal feature of private businesses? They are strictly hierarchical autocracies! Every single one is a mini-dictatorship! That's the deeper appeal of the slogan.
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Also true: no effective government IS run "like a business" because the functions differ so radically. The mindless cliché-spouters may not be capable of understanding this.
But that cuts in the opposite way from how the statement is usually invoked. It implies we should invest more in infrastructure, disaster planning, education & training etc.
https://youtu.be/Mrje-m01kI8?si=_IfhbdsORNSwSitS
Real businesses invest to reap future rewards.
If we run the nation like a business, doesn't that mean investing in infrastructure, education, child care, environmental protection, disaster planning/mitigation?
But what it really means is that you get to cut ‘low performers’ (based on factors like race or income) and then not care what happens to them.