The reason we can't run government like a business is because it's not a business. To be more specific, there are hundreds of laws and resulting regulations that apply only to government operations that do not apply to the private sector. They range from national security laws, laws and regulations to protect tax payer dollars, freedom of information, audit trails that are both event and financial orientated, communication with the public, congressional reporting requirements, and specific laws and regs related to every project or activity. Civil Service laws that protects employees whose interest is serving the public and not a political party puts many restrains on personnel management compare to the private sector.I see sense in running the country as a business. I think it would work well as long we have as CEO somebody that has risen up through the ranks based on leadership abilities, not nepotism. Getting somebody without a history of business bankruptcies would be helpful also.
Unlike businesses that can keep their operations out of the public eye, freedom of information acts make everything the government does that is not covered by national security open to public view. That mean everything has be documented and covered by acts of congress and resulting regulation.
For example, in a private business, the boss tells you I want you to create a website specifically for our new line of products. Chances are the only things you will be concerned with are the requirements of this job. Now take a look at laws and regulation on a federal website.
- 21st Century IDEA, including the required website standards, December 2018
- Connected Government Act, January 2018
- OMB M-17-06, Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services (PDF, 1.2 MB, 18 pages, November 2016)
- OMB Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource (July 28, 2016)
- Digital Government Strategy (May 2012)
- E-Government Act of 2002, Section 207
- See a full list of policies and regulations
Checklist of requirements for federal websites and digital services
Links to relevant laws, policies, and regulations for federal agencies.
digital.gov