A Kiwi Turtle
Nowhere GirlIt should be obvious by now that privatization and "running government like a business" are nothing more than dog whistles for the looting and authoritarian control of public goods.
e@gwynnion Exactly what it says on the can
G.I. Robot 
I mean, it's right there in the concept... have you ever voted for your boss? How about your bosses' boss? How about anyone at the company you work for? Ever voted for any of them?
Businesses are NOT democracies. They are dictatorships. Anyone who says they want to run the government "like a business" is saying they want a dictatorship.
Riley S. Faelan@GuyDudeman Businesses are a little bit democratic, namely at the point where the stockholder assembly gets to elect a board.
The catch is, they do even that little bit of democracy in the most plutocratic way they could think of.
Sean Woods@GuyDudeman @gwynnion I also find that anyone who uses the phrase "running government like a business" isn't very well versed with a few key facts:
1) Most businesses fail after a year
2) Most people can't explain what "run like a business" even means.
3) Most of the most successful businesses you can think of are not actually "run like a business". And once they do, they fail pretty spectacularly. (See: General Electric, Toys R' Us, Hewlet Packard...)
prasoon@etoyoc @GuyDudeman @gwynnion "Come over hun, let me run you like a business" ~ the avg politician selling you a neoliberal govt model.
Patrick Lam 
@GuyDudeman @gwynnion I guess it sounds a bit weird but as faculty we sort of vote for department chairs and dean.
Brendan Jones@GuyDudeman @lightweight @gwynnion This is why the whole idea that we live in a democracy gets to me. Sure, our political sphere and public goods are somewhat democratic (depending on how representative your representative democracy actually is. Two party system? First past the post? Not so democratic in practice), but the entire production of non-public goods and services is not democratic at all.
Henry@GuyDudeman @gwynnion true capitalism would have no government involvement in private business. No lobby no special interest. No treating a corporation as a human being. Government which taxes citizens has one job, and that is protect people from business.
Martha Howell@gwynnion
What business would allow repeated fiscal cliffs, or leave anyone in leadership who entertains that as a tactic?
What business would allow repeated fiscal cliffs, or leave anyone in leadership who entertains that as a tactic?
CharLight@gwynnion same with healthcare
@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote
Dave Lane 
🇳🇿@gwynnion this is true.
Andy Linton 🇮🇪 
✅@gwynnion In other words: Privatise the profits, socialise the losses.
Pamela Schure@gwynnion Since individuals have lower overall income now, the next best customer is .. the government. Lots of ways to rig the system so that companies benefit more than society. It’s a slow vampirizarion of the economy until the money runs out and sinks in on itself. #economy #blackholes
Lambda@gwynnion "the efficiency of the market will take care of it" = "my wealthy campaign contributors would really like own the services that the public depends on and eventually control price by monopolizing the supply. They promised a symbolic position in their future company that will pay handsomely"
Harr@gwynnion In an ideal world, no company or trust should be more powerful than govt. and govt. should be totally controlled by the public of the nation.
Nini@gwynnion Always has been. Margaret Thatcher didn't earn her contempt from the working class for nothing.
Unprecedented 2023
Finley Ⓥ@gwynnion "No family could run their finances this way!"
I mean, find me a family that makes $4 trillion a year, sets interest rates, and can print money and then we'll talk. Jeff Bezos makes like a fraction of that, and I can guarantee he's spending that money as frivolously as he can.