'We the people' ARE the 'shareholders' in the government, for whom it is supposed to be run. And we each have exactly one share, no matter how rich or how poor. But the way government is currently run, those with more money are treated as if they hold more shares, so that they get more of the 'profits'. Rather than paying extra for the infrastructure damages their businesses cause, they leave the potholes for the rest of us to fix, and keep the profits they make using public such public commons, under a general 'trickle down' assumption that the rest of us benefit simply because they're doing business.

And one of the prime tenets of business that is that you have to invest to reap benefits down the road, but these 'run it like a business' politicians NEVER want to invest in education, infrastructure, safety, helping people rise out of poverty, or any other common good.

You may have to hold your nose and vote for them, but you make sure you let them know that the first time a candidate challenges them that is a true progressive, that person will get your vote and your money, not them.

Bush, Mitt, Bruce Rauner in Illinois have all tanked some companies and walked away (with the corporate funds stuffed in their pockets). Their ideas of running things 'like a business' wasn't even good for the businesses.

The larger businesses have unbelievably complex bureaucracies. But that's not what they mean when they say 'run like a business', is it?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

Our government is a democracy that includes everyone. It's purpose is not to make a profit but to have a functioning society. Private enterprise is a monarchy with a king, nobles and an obedient plebiscite that can exclude those they don't want within its organization. Businesses only purpose is to make a profit at the expense of everything and everyone else with the exception of those small elite at the top.

A few years ago the University of Washington increased their allotment of foreign students and decreased the number of US students. Outrage ensued. It was a "good" business move - foreign students pay much much more in tuition.
That is how "business" works.

When someone says they'll help "run government like a business", I'm taking them to mean they're going to look after it as though it were their own lifeblood that they poured into their business and that customer satisfaction is priority one. In fact, if they don't run their business in a way that makes their customers happy, there won't be any shareholders, and they know that. To me, that's not a bad thing.

Now whether or not they're being honest about their "run government like a business" claim is a whole other matter. But to outright not trust them because they use that phrase? No.

Government is not run for profit. Most businesses are.

What I described is the message they would likely tell you they wish to convey.

You can say you want to run a school or government "like a business" and people treat you seriously.

But imagine saying "I intend to run this business more like a school!" (or a charity, or the government). You'd be rightly laughed out of the room!

Businesses have a mission, and what makes sense in profit-seeking probably does not make sense if your organization's mission is educating children, helping the poor, or providing basic services for all.

at a public meeting (he is running for county sheriff) he constantly referred to the people present as "customers" as in "consumers". i realized he was using the business model - and it is wrong. he was informed that if elected he will be serving 'citizens' not "customers" who a) vote for & may or may not elect him b) whose local and federal taxes pay his salary c) who have rights protected by the department of justice not a board of investors for whom the motto business model is "just us".

It's about insuring the rights, the security, and the welfare of the people. The public sector handles things that the private sector can't make a profit on, so the bottom line thinking that pervades private sector organization cannot be directly transferred to the public sector.