Should America be "run like a business?"

Let me make it clear: 

Government should NOT be run like a business!

Now, of course no one wants their tax dollars wasted. Cutting government waste is a good thing, but you must be careful and methodical. You must make precise cuts with a scalpel, not a...[CHAINSAW!!]

There’s a big difference between cutting waste and “running America like a business.” 

First and foremost, the goal of business is to make the most profit possible.

Corporations like McDonald’s and Walmart don’t exist for the public good. They exist to maximize their shareholder returns. This often means paying their workers as little as possible.

That’s why you end up subsidizing Walmart and McDonalds with your tax dollars. Many Walmart and McDonald’s employees rely on government programs like food stamps and Medicaid to make ends meet. When McDonald’s says “I’m loving it,” the “it” they are referring to is profits. 

The aim of the government should be to make life better for its people — to provide services that help our nation achieve the common good. It’s in the very first sentence of the Constitution. See, look? “promote the general welfare”.

But, making peoples’ lives better costs money and it doesn’t return a profit. Wait, hold on a second…

Making a profit is not the point of government. 

Should we gut healthcare services for our veterans because it’s not profitable? What about inspecting our food? Should we cut Social Security and let seniors starve?

And think about schools. Highways. Libraries. National Parks. Mail delivered by the postal service. 

These are public goods that are paid for by the public and are available to everyone. That’s the beauty of them. 

What politicians really mean when they say they want to “run the government like a business” is they want to privatize services for their corporate backers. Wall Street would love to have its hands in YOUR Social Security. The Trump Organization would love to turn Yellowstone National Park into a private resort for only the wealthiest to enjoy. 

It’s not about “efficiency” or because these public goods “cost too much.” That’s rubbish. Private corporations want to profit at your expense. 

But we are citizens, not customers. We are voters, not shareholders. Trump and his Cabinet are not our CEO and Board of Directors. They are supposed to be public servants. They’re supposed to work for us. 

And let’s not forget: Trump sucks at running businesses anyway! I could make a whole video about Trump’s many, many business failures. And I have. You can watch that next… [Show footage]

Businesses take risks in pursuit of money. That’s perfectly fine. And if you run a company into the ground, you can go bankrupt like Donald Trump, and start a new one.

But when you take risks with the U.S. government, you’re gambling with people’s lives, their constitutional rights, and their pursuit of happiness. You can’t just shrug it off and start another country.

Again, the purpose of government is not to show a profit.

It is to achieve the common good.