The National Government Is The Worst At Running A Business

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Mandeville, LA – Exclusive Transcript – The difference between Wal-Mart and the United States Department of Agriculture is because you think, you’ve been sold and told, that the USDA is an inherent good, it does good things because it’s government and because it’s agency and because it’s public, because it only exists for you.  It’s just here for you.  It’s here to help you.  Check out today’s audio and transcript for the rest…

 

Begin Mike Church Show Transcript

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Mike:  Andrew is in Indiana.  Andrew, you’re on The Mike Church Show.  How are you?

Caller Andrew:  I’m doing well, sir.  I had a couple things.  One is dovetailing with your comments about Kerry’s pulling out the checkbook to write another $250 million in foreign aid.  We keep getting told that the American people have had to tighten their belts and redo their budgets.  Isn’t the first thing you do when you’re reviewing your budget to stop the little purchases like I’m not going to go grab that Kit-Kat?  I think it’s a bit disingenuous to say we can’t cut that, we have to cut the big programs first.  Like what, housing?  Taking the household analogy a little further than I think is actually applicable.  It doesn’t seem logical in any way, shape or form, you are entirely correct.

Mike:  No, it’s not logical.  Do you care what Wal-Mart spends on paperclips at the Benton, Arkansas headquarters?  You’re laughing.  I think it’s a perfectly congruent line of discussion.  Do you care how much they spend on paper and laser toner?  Are we obsessed over the amount of employees they have within that place?  You could just insert the name of the business and the answer is of course no.  Why aren’t you?  Shouldn’t you be concerned about it?  We’re all concerned about paperclips and paper and employees and how many work in this bureau and that agency.  What’s the difference between Wal-Mart and the United States Department of Agriculture?

Caller Andrew:  Scale.

Mike:  It’s not scale.  The difference between Wal-Mart and the United States Department of Agriculture is because you think, you’ve been sold and told, that the USDA is an inherent good, it does good things because it’s government and because it’s agency and because it’s public, because it only exists for you.  It’s just here for you.  It’s here to help you.  Isn’t Wal-Mart here to help me?  If it used to cost me $55 for a Brooks Brothers shirt — I know I’m exaggerating — and I can get a Brooks Brothers-type shirt at Wal-Mart for $25, I’ve lowered my cost of living.  I don’t want to get into a trade war discussion.  Please just go along with this.  Business enhances our daily lives every day, doesn’t it?  Andrew, you drove to work this morning, did you not?

AG:  I did.

Mike:  You have a heater in your car?  Is it cold?

AG:  It was cold but I went in there.

Mike:  You benefitted mightily from General Motors’ foresight in building into your automobile climate controls, didn’t you?  It’s not government.  The point is, you’re raised and taught to believe that when government does things it does them for good.  I’m simply pointing out that when business does things, business does them for good, too.  Few businesses get along very well or are very successful if they do things for bad.  That includes investment firms that steal.  It includes all manner of business transaction.  Business is able to do what?  Business is able to produce the standard of living that you and I currently enjoy.  Government doesn’t produce that.  Government drives the price of it up.  There’s very little good about it.  It ought to have a simple golden rule, first do no harm.  Don’t do any harm.  As Jefferson said in his inaugural address in 1801, what you ought to be doing is not taking the bread that business exists on from business’s mouth; it ought to be left there.

End Mike Church Show Transcript