Do the principles of big business translate into effective governance?

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“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind.”


– Gordon Gekko (the movie Wall Street)


This will not read like a balanced opinion, I know. But I know it to be truth, so really, I don’t care. Making ‘get money’ your life mantra will dissolve a humanistic state into one that is concerned only with the bottom line … regardless of what you have to do to get there.

Steal. Kill. Cheat. Destroy. Emotions will inhibit your progress. If you aim to get rich, check them bad boys at the door.


Sell dope. Peddle h—. Pump poison. Manufacture cheap goods.

If in the end it brings dough, then it is justified by all means. Beneficiaries rarely care about the carnage caused. As long as the numbers behind the dollar sign keep increasing, big business will keep on beasting … trampling over every thing in its path in an always turnt up game of profit and power.

At least, that’s how I’ve seen things in this world play themselves out. That’s not to say that there aren’t businesses that are great corporate citizens, but these days, those types of companies are pretty hard to come by.

Big business cares very little about the people in its process. People have needs, emotions, families, principles, things that they care about … all types of non efficient, touchy-feely stuff that gets in the way of progress. Remove those things as quickly as possible, so we can return our focus to the bottom line.

Reduce salaries. Increase mechanization. Remove workers. Improve outputs. Escape restrictions. Cut corners. Get money … or die trying.

Managers are hired and fired based on their ability to execute these things. If you come up short, your time in the executive seat will be even shorter. Boards of directors’ don’t pay attention to personal profiles. They get amped about financial portfolios. The story is the numbers, not in the words, not in the lives of the people that speak them.

“Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make,” said Donald Trump.

So tell me … if government is about managing the business of the people, does big business produce the leadership best suited to manage our world?

There are only a few principles of big business that I want my government to reflect, yet there are only two I can think of right now: efficiency and responsiveness.

Everything else? It ain’t even for the birds.

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