Jeff & Debbie say,
>> Obviously, the major difference between the public sector and the private
>> sector is the profit motive.
To which Jack says,
> I am completely baffled by this notion, which I run across repeatedly, not
> only on this list, but in much of my other list correspondence. It seems
> obvious to me that in a capitalist society - absent a counter-culture which
> asserts the rights of public property - all "public" actions are designed
> to increase profit since the motive is at the core of the culture.
> I think a systems analysis will readily show that the deterioration of
> public goods is traceable to the drive for profits through a loop which
> demands ever greater investment from the public for ever diminishing
> return.
Good point, Jack. Politicians feed off of two basic needs:
1. Money, as it takes money to run a campaign
2. Power, as it takes power to get your legislation passed
Profit is a motive, and politicians go to great length to court the right people, propose
the right legislation, to ensure that they get enough money to win the next campaign.
This, again, brings us to a near-term view of the political process, and impedes, IMO,
a systemic approach to government.
--Benjamin B. Compton ("Ben") | email: bcompton@novell.com Novell, GroupWare Support Quality Manager | fax: (801) 222-6991
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>