The notion that government should function like a business is a persistent theme among Republicans, tech billionaires, corporate CEOs and trope that underpins Project 2025, the right wing attempt to reshape the U.S. government into a business enterprise that prioritizes partisan loyalty, deregulation, and corporate interests over public welfare. Recently, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak echoed this sentiment, claiming it “makes sense to run a government like a business” as a preface to criticizing Elon Musk’s “way” of doing it. This myth, much like “supply-side economics,” refuses to die, regardless of how often it’s disproved.
To many, running government like a business sounds appealing. After all, who doesn't want efficiency and fiscal responsibility? But this approach fundamentally misunderstands the distinct roles of the public and private sectors.
The concept of governing as a corporate venture is central to Project 2025, the extreme blueprint for authoritarianism hatched in the bowels of the Heritage Foundation. This initiative, which the convicted felon Republican standard-bearer conveniently disavowed during his campaign, aims to dismantle the nonpartisan bureaucracy every modern society needs to function effectively.
All U.S. government officials take a constitutional oath to serve the American people, not just the "Dear Leader." Yet today's Republicans disparage them as "unelected bureaucrats," spreading the dubious notion that serving the people and the Constitution is somehow undemocratic. Meanwhile, they cheer on Elon Musk, the unelected South African billionaire parasite, as he gleefully fires Americans and dismantles parts of the federal government that people rely on.
Gone are the days of FDR’s “brain trust” - a group of academics, economists, and social reformers the president looked to for advice. They’ve been replaced by billionaires. Whether one acquired wealth the old fashioned way through inheritance or came up with some schtick to separate suckers from their money, to the right wing, if you’re rich, you’re an expert on all things.
In this New Gilded Age of Grifters, the "CEO" is the highest calling and the pinnacle of human existence. Despite research indicating that psychopathic traits are more prevalent among executives than in the general population. As we see with all the billionaires who rapidly bowed to the convicted felon con man Republican standard bearer - the same billionaires who once railed against him for sending a mob of traitors to beat cops, trash the Capitol and try to stop the peaceful transfer of power - many CEOs are willing and ready to turn the American people into nothing but hosts from which they suck profit and discard. Ending the “Grand Experiment in Liberal Democracy” that so many fought, bled and died to create and entrust to is a price they’re eager to pay for their bottomless greed and unending pursuit of profit.
So, for the love of the American experiment, let’s list the ways government is not a business.
1. Different Goals and Priorities
Businesses exist primarily to generate profit for shareholders. Their success is measured by financial metrics.
Governments, on the other hand, exist to serve the public good. I mean, if they’re functioning governments and not the sh*tholes Republicans are trying to turn us into.
A success in government is measured by how well essential services (education, healthcare, infrastructure) are provided and ensure equity, justice, and the well-being of all citizens, not just those who can pay.
As FDR said, "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
If a government operated like Musk’s Twitter, it would fire millions of public servants—teachers, healthcare workers, infrastructure maintenance crews—leaving critical services in shambles. Oh, wait… that’s exactly what the unelected South African sociopath is doing to us.
2. Private Profit or Public Responsibility?
Businesses can choose to focus on profitable markets and ignore unprofitable ones. For example, a private company might avoid providing services in rural or low-income areas because it’s not financially viable. For example, FDR's Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) brought electricity to remote rural areas in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. If not for the TVA, many of the MAGAts would still be literally living in the dark, instead of just figuratively. I often think of these ingrates, railing against “gub’ment” as they fall into their Q-Anon conspiracy ratholes, on the government R&D-created internet machines. None of whom have the manners or maturity to say “thanks, liberals!”
Governments have a responsibility to serve everyone, including marginalized and underserved populations. Public services like postal delivery, public transportation, and emergency response are often provided at a loss because they are essential for societal functioning.
For example, the United States Postal Service takes a mule train to a remote native American tribe living on the floor of the Grand Canyon. UPS and Federal Express won’t go there because it’s unprofitable. I guess some liberal thought it would be a good idea for the “shining city on a hill” to have every community connected.
While, UPS and FedEx prioritize cost-effective routes, the Supai route’s remoteness (accessible only by mule, raft, or helicopter) and low volume make it unprofitable. Conversely, the Postal Service operates under a universal service obligation (codified in law) to deliver to all U.S. addresses, regardless of cost. Well, that is until the Republicans destroy the pesky United States Postal Service for good as part of their Project 2025 fascist takeover.
If governments operated like businesses, they would abandon their duty to provide universal access to critical services.
3. Short Sighted Greed or Public Good?
Businesses focus on short-term gains to satisfy shareholders and quarterly earnings reports. This usually leads to decisions that maximize immediate profits at the expense of long-term sustainability and societal welfare. This is clearly evident in the business practices of Big Oil and Big Tobacco, which infamously suppressed critical research to protect profits.
Oil companies, aware of fossil fuels' climate impacts since the 1960s, systematically misled the public through disinformation campaigns, delaying urgent climate action.Similarly, in January 4, 1954, American tobacco companies launched a coordinated PR campaign to cast doubt on the scientific research confirming it. They hired shill scientists and formed phony front groups to conduct biased research in order to obscure health risks. They released a full-page advertisement published in major newspapers that falsely claimed "no proof" existed linking cigarettes to lung cancer. “A Frank Statement” was a deliberate misinformation strategy that is emblematic of corporate dishonesty.
In 1994, tobacco executives testifying under oath that smoking was not addictive or linked to cancer, all while fully aware of the truth.
While this footage may seem comical today, it serves as a stark reminder of the lengths to which self-serving executives will go to protect privilege and their profits. Their objective is clear —profit for the few— the “many” can go die. Disregarding the health and lives of countless individuals is required of the CEO class and highlights the moral decay of putting profit over the the well-being of humanity.
In addition, tobacco firms infamously denied the smoking link to cancer despite internal knowledge to the contrary.
As Republicans enact their Project 2025 assault, we clearly see that running “government as a business” requires systemic deception and a remorseless lack of concern for the “general welfare” of one’s fellow citizens. Trump, Musk and their Republican lickspittles lie all the time. Big lies, little lies, and every lie in between - as long as it keeps the dupes angry, divided, distracted and voting for their own demise.Governments must think in terms of decades and generations. Or -at least, government should operate that way - with an eye on the future “for ourselves and our posterity,” as it says in the Preamble to the United States Constitution.
Investments in infrastructure, education, and environmental protection may not yield immediate “returns” but are crucial for the future. That’s why Republicans would rather focus on divisive “bathroom bills” to distract the people they pretend to represent with hatred for the targeted minority group du jour. Virtue signaling hate costs nothing but has the effect of destroying American unity - a vital component of turning democracy into dictatorship.
Since Reagan urinated on us and told us it was trickling, the United States has gone from the most to the least upwardly mobile with the widest income gap of all democratic nation mainly thanks to tax policy that funnelled money to the top. Investing in infrastructure may require Republicans to reverse this and raise taxes on the rich - which Republicans can’t do that if they want to keep their phony baloney, cushy gigs. They just wait for Democrats to pass infrastructure bills in spite of Republican obstruction and continue concentrating on spreading their divisive propaganda. Republicans have no qualms voting against bills, then claiming credit for their successes. The bulk of the benefits from Joe Biden’s Infrastructure bill went to the poorly run Republican red states. While most Republicans voted against it, they certainly took credit for the projects in their districts.
A business-minded approach to governance neglects long-term planning in favor of short-term profit for a few, leading to disastrous consequences for society.
4. Competition or Collaboration?
Businesses thrive on competition, often at the expense of others. This can lead to innovation but also to unethical practices, exploitation, and inequality.
Governments are meant to regulate competition, ensure fairness, and promote collaboration for the common good. They are responsible for creating a level playing field and protecting citizens from exploitation.
Applying a competitive, profit-driven mindset to government would undermine its role as a regulator and protector of public interests.
5. Cui Bono? The Privileged Few or the General Welfare?
Businesses are accountable primarily to their shareholders, who are often a small, wealthy elite. Decisions are made to benefit this group, even if it harms workers, consumers, or the environment.
Governments are (in theory) accountable to all citizens. Ideally, their decisions should reflect the needs and values of the entire population, not just the wealthy or powerful. I know. I said “ideally.”
Running government like a business shifts accountability from the public to a select few, exacerbating inequality and eroding democracy. This is more like the government the founders fought a revolution to escape than one of, by and for the people.
6. Market Failures or Public Services?
Many essential services, like clean air, national defense, and public health, are "public goods" that markets cannot adequately provide. Businesses have no incentive to invest in these areas because they are not profitable.
The United States’ for-profit health system is a case in point. The “your money or your life” health system is the measurably worst health system on Earth because health care is not a “true” market. It costs twice as much as the next most expensive system, bankrupts millions, needlessly kills thousands, leaves millions out and consistently ranks dead last in all positive measures - but it makes a few people very rich - so Republicans tout it as “the best in the world” and the Stockholm Syndrome-suffering Fox News viewers/victims echo it even as they ration their meds and stress whether their emergency room doctor was “in network.”Governments exist to address market failures and provide these goods, ideally, ensuring that everyone benefits, regardless of their ability to pay.
By intervening in areas where markets fall short, governments not only ensure equitable access to vital services, they promote social cohesion. For instance, the creation of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s revolutionized transportation and commerce in the United States, demonstrating the power of large-scale public infrastructure projects.Social Security and Medicare have significantly reduced poverty and improved health outcomes for elderly Americans.
Environmental regulations like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts have dramatically improved air and water quality, protecting public health and ecosystems. Left to their own devices, corporations routinely used our common environment like a toilet for their waste, harming people and communities.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane for a reminder:Love Canal, NY (1940s-1970s): Hooker Chemical Company dumped over 21,000 tons of toxic waste, leading to severe health issues in the local community.
Cuyahoga River, Ohio (1969): Industrial pollution caused the river to catch fire multiple times, symbolizing the peak of water pollution in the U.S.
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989): One of the worst oil spills in history, devastating Alaskan ecosystems.
BP Deepwater Horizon (2010): Largest marine oil spill in history, causing extensive environmental damage in the Gulf of Mexico.
Flint Water Crisis (2014-ongoing): Cost-cutting measures led to lead contamination, poisoning thousands.
PFAS contamination: Chemical companies like DuPont and 3M knowingly polluted water sources with "forever chemicals" for decades.
A business-oriented government would no-doubt operate like the worst examples of profit-focused corporations, leaving society vulnerable to crises like pollution, pandemics, environmental collapse, and inequality. Though, it does seem like inequality is the point of Republican governance.
7. Selfishness or Morality?
Businesses are not inherently designed to address moral or ethical issues unless they align with profitability. For example, many businesses oppose raising the minimum wage, even if it means shared prosperity and a better quality of life for workers.
Governments have a moral obligation to protect the vulnerable, promote justice, and ensure a basic standard of living for all citizens. Ideally, I should say. This is why the Republican agenda is as anathema to freedom and democracy as the existence of billionaires.
Treating government like a business relieves it of the “burden” of pesky ethical concerns. This, is precisely why Republicans and their Project 2025 agenda are trying to make self-serving greed the only American value.
Government is not a business - nor should it be
To sum it up, the notion that government should be run like a business is not just dangerous - it’s bullshit. Both have fundamentally different purposes, priorities, and responsibilities.
The Project 2025 focus on profit, short-term thinking, and disregard for public welfare has led to nothing but chaos, inequality, and systemic failure - and it’s only going to get worse before it gets better because the Republican assault on America is just getting started.
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