It's just business

Republican politicians often argue that government should be run more like business for the sake of efficiency and goal clarity. Political scientist Seth Masket argues that the notion is misguided: "Businesses exist to turn a profit. They provide goods and services to others only insofar as it is profitable to do so, and they will set prices in a way that ends up prohibiting a significant sector of the population from obtaining those goods and services. And that, of course, is fine, because they're businesses. Governments, conversely, provide public goods and services -- things that we have determined are people's right to possess. This is inherently an unprofitable enterprise. Apple would not last long if it had to provide every American with an iPad." Just something to chew upon.