Now this is one of the more interesting things to hit the internet lately. A financial analyst thought “Hmm, what would the US look like financially if it were a business?” and went about evaluating it as such, taking a hard look at our “balance sheet” and “income statement”
Full 450 page report:
http://images.businessweek.com/mz/11/10/1110_mz_49meekerusainc.pdf
5 page summary:
http://www.kpcb.com/usainc/
I’m still holding out for the day that our president is a prominent businessman who does treat running the government like running a business and not some ‘lawyer’ or otherwise.
I still have my Perot sweatshirt when I was volunteering for that campaign back in '92.
lol I wonder how many board members even know who that is? Hell I remember but I was ten.
The whole point of government being government is that you can’t run it like a business. Do you really want the model to be maximize taxes and minimize services performed and payments out?
I was tempted to vote for him as well, for his biz savvy. Sadly I never am compelled to vote since I realize it’s always a hardcore repub or dem getting in. 8(
The issue is that those who seek power like a Presidency are doing so not for the good of the country but for personal motives IMO. Even Perot, Ron Paul etc… I’m sure have some hidden agendas. 8/
I’m not convinced the country can be run like a business at this stage. Everything is so far inflated and the interest burden on our debt (national and personal) is insane. They’ve really painted themselves into a corner.
Well said.
Maybe they should run it like Google. Tons of free services at the expense of your information.
:tinfoilhat:
stupid dbl post
plenty of businesses apply a triple bottom line these days. Only more mature publically traded companies ‘must’ chase quarterly profits.
it’s as easy as developing an appropriate balanced scorecard that also incorporates feedback from the citizens on an ongoing basis rather than once every 4 years.
Run it like a vegan non-profit 
If anything the government needs less feedback from the public. Either term limits or longer terms. The whole reason we’re so fucked is because the public is so fickle, short-sighted, and unrealistic. Raising taxes gets you voted out. Even the perception that you raised taxes, when you actually lowered them, gets you voted out. People love spending cuts in theory until you actually start to cut the programs they use and like, then that gets you voted out. Each side just votes to cut the other side’s sacred cows, and nothing gets passed. What do we get stuck with? More borrowing and re-election of the same assholes.
I love Joe’s spin on everything.
I hope a Republican cures cancer so I can see Joe’s evil twist on it. lol
How is that spin? The sole purpose of a business’ existence is to generate profits for their owners or shareholders. Government exists to run a country. They are fundamentally different missions.
The government takes my money and provides me one or more services
My Dry cleaner takes my money and provides me one or more services
edit: btw, non-profit organizations’ sole existence isn’t to generate profit for shareholders, it is to provide services to those in need. Hospitals, Charities, etc… Yet, they are run like a business.
Your dry cleaner can decide that one of its’ locations is unprofitable and close it. GM can decide saturn and hummer are unprofitable and sell them. The gov’t can’t sell off the military or cut ties with Alabama and Mississippi because they are a net loss. It exists to fulfill the needs that private enterprise can’t, won’t, or can’t be trusted to.
A nonprofit organization is a lot better comparison, but even then, nonprofits aren’t constitutionally obligated to do a bunch of stuff that happens to be really expensive. Government is unique.
yeah, the dry cleaner thing was just to mock you.
Yeah, but how amazing would that be :tup:
Is that a fact? Source?
Constitutionally obligated?!?!? “Hey I will just throw the word “constitutionally” in there and I will look smrt.”
You literally make me ROFL. So you believe The Constitution is the reason for trillions of dollars of debt? LMAO.
vids of you rolling on the floor laughing or politisuck ban.
The US Constitution says the federal gov’t gets things like the military, setting elections, making and enforcing the laws, the whole monetary system…you get the picture. Those things cost money and they can’t really shirk those responsibilities. I’m not sure how you managed to make up a conclusion and put it into my mouth based on one word in the middle of a sentence, but for my explanation of why we are so far in debt see post #10 that you conveniently skipped.
Hospitals are required to do a lot of things “by law” that cost them money too. Like say stabilize illegal immigrants who get their legs mangled by a lawnmower and can’t pay the bill.
This thread fails… I just wanted a 1 page summary… so i can get depressed more quickly, with less work.