[Gathnet] Comments on the choices we have before us.

[Stuart D. Gathman]

On Mon, 27 Oct 2008, stuart gathman wrote:

> I spent my whole working career working for bureaucrats in the Government.
> Indeed the major problem with Government run programs is that bad apples in
> the line of command are usually let to continue or are booted upstairs to get
> rid of them. In private business, they are out! I had a small physical problem
> while in the UK once and made the mistake of going to the "free" hospital for
> care. What a laugh! Same thing when we experienced the FEMA "care" here when
> we were evacuated from our home. Again, what a laugh. The only thing that
> helped here for our neighbors who did loose their homes was the local church.

When private businesses become a large publically owned corporation, the 
same thing happens.  The bad apples get booted upstairs.  This even has a 
name: the Peter Principle.  There are good reasons why Democrats hate "big 
business" and corporations.  What they don't seem to realize is that our 
Federal Government has become the biggest and most corrupt corporation in 
the world.  Market forces can rein in corporate corruption - as long as 
there is not a monopoly and consumers have a meaningful choice (and the 
Feds are *supposed* to break up monopolies). When the Feds take over a 
business (schools, healthcare, mortgages, etc), they become a monopoly 
with no oversight, no competition, and inevitably a hotbed of corruption.

The Feds need to stop taking over corrupt corporations (thereby making 
them even more corrupt), and start acting as the police like they are 
supposed to.  Unfortunately, neither Clinton nor Bush have enforced any 
judgements against corporate corruption.  Instead, they force even more 
corrupt practices (like the "affordable housing" program) on corporations, 
and then when the corporate version inevitably collapses, take over.

It should be obvious that the fox can't be trusted to guard the henhouse. 
The Federal Government cannot regulate corporations when they are in 
competition with and trying to replace the same corporations!  Can you say 
"conflict of interest"?  The Feds should not be allowed to take over any 
businesses.  Regulate (standards, truth in advertising, product safety, 
etc) - sure, and there will be disagreement about how much regulation is 
optimal.  Corporations need accountability even more than individuals.  
But take over?  That is guaranteed disaster!  *Why* do people think they 
want this?

> Anyway, to avoid such possibilities here is that I guess we have to vote
> McCain.

Yep - we don't want the wrong lizard to get in.

http://weblog.xanga.com/CustomDesigned/629858491/item.html

-- 
	      Stuart D. Gathman <stuart at bmsi.com>
    Business Management Systems Inc.  Phone: 703 591-0911 Fax: 703 591-6154
"Confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis" - background song for
a Microsoft sponsored "Where do you want to go from here?" commercial.