Can You Run Government Like a Business?

The New Yorker asks Mitt Romney if it was possible to run the government the way you would run a business.

Said Romney: “The private sector is less forgiving. If you make serious mistakes in the private sector, you’ll lose your job, or, if you’re in a position of responsibility, you might lose other people’s jobs. In politics, politicians make mistakes all the time and blame their opposition, or borrow more money, or raise taxes to pay for their mistake. In the business world, the ability to speak fast and convincingly is of very little value. I remember the first time I met Jack Welch. I expected him to be a super-salesman. Instead, he spoke quietly, somewhat haltingly, but brilliantly. Stuff matters a lot more than fluff in the private sector.”

It’s a subject we tackle at length in You Won – Now What?