Introduction

Welcome to the introduction of MessAPolitico!

For as long as I can remember, I have thought that our United States government does a poor job of operating anything.  That's not to say that I don't think it's the best government on Earth; there is none better.  However, private business is much more efficient and effective than any organization run by government.

Businesses are driven to efficiency by profit.  Provide a higher quality of product or service, and your customers will pay more for it.  Eliminate waste, and the costs of providing a service will go down.  Different businesses that compete for the consumer dollar often provide similar products with different bundles of features and service so that they are positioned differently in the eyes of the consumer.  They appeal to different groups (target market segments).  The result is a marketplace with many different choices at various prices, allowing individuals to get the features and benefits they want at an affordable price.  A business that can't deliver enough value to the consumer at a cost allowing acceptable profits simply goes out of business or reorganizes.

By contrast, the government tries to write a rigid and detailed set of rules (laws) that govern the operation of any government entity.  There is no reason to strive for efficiency, because no one profits from it.  The products or services offered are "one size fits all," and the employees don't treat the constituents like customers.  Do you have any choice about where you purchase your license plates for the car?  Can you take your kids to another school that is paid for with your tax dollars?

Until recently, the growing national debt was something undesirable, but there didn't seem to be anything that could really stop it.  Although it was growing, the rate of growth was relatively slow, and the danger seemed to be far off into the future.  Now the growth of national debt has taken off exponentially, and the liberals in congress and the white house can't seem to find any spending in the federal government that we can do without.  Even the conservatives seem to be afraid of taking the drastic actions needed to turn this mess around.  However the recently elected Tea Party candidates "get it."  They know that the large majority of Americans will support cuts in government programs.

My personal belief is that the cuts in the federal government should be done with a double-bit axe.  It's too late to trim with a scalpel or a steak knife.  Huge chunks of government must be completely eliminated.  Government is so inept at running anything, it should run almost nothing.  In fact, government should be limited to only those things that must absolutely be done only by government.  Anything else should be privatized.  Whole departments must shut down, just the way businesses do it when the economy takes a down-turn.

In this blog, I plan to analyze where we spend government dollars.  This will be done using a business approach to decide what can be cut.  I'm betting that we can run a budget surplus, pay down the debt, and receive better services all at the same time.  The only thing that can stop this is the MessAPolitico that we have in Washington today.  Please join me in this journey to find the answer and convince the politicians to implement it.