Well the New Conservative Party wants to run the country like a business, and guess what? Were all customers, when we should actually be part owners of this business (country) - Not Customers.

Under a New Conservative Party all of our living needs will be given to Corporations and will be put into the market. Soon being sick will make a profit.

Come on Canadians cast your vote for this kind of government. Shoot yourselves in the foot yet once again.

Kevin

   

I wasn't refering to the NDP's or NCP's crack pot idea of business. What I was trying to get at was insisting that the government take on responsiblity to that of a business. And businesses need to produce for and serve their customers or they don't have a good business. If you lie cheat and swindle chances are you won't make it all that far in the business world without serious damage controll. Take for instance Ontario residents having to pay for physio therapy if they aren't elderly. How does that make sense, many non elderly need the service why is it deemed fit to be taken away?

   

That would be a fascist conception of the state though. In a democracy the state is just the instrument of the people. It doesn't do what it wants as if we're consumers, it does what WE want.

   

[QUOTE BY= Pink Flamingo] Businesses need to produce for and serve their customers or they don't have a good business. If you lie cheat and swindle chances are you won't make it all that far in the business world without serious damage control.[/QUOTE] Who says that every service *can* be run profitably, or that if it cannot make a profit it isn't worth offering? There is nothing intrinsic to capitalism that says that everything can be made profitable; some things must be run at a loss. Take for example Microsoft's X-box pricing; they have been selling the X-box at less than cost since it came out, just to maintain a market presence. By analogy, perhaps the canadian government must continue to provide public health care at a loss to avoid political upheaval/foreign control/something equally bad.

   

I agree Jesse with regard to healthcare being offered even if it is at a loss; but I don't really believe that is the case. I think the politicians and the spin doctors have been promoting this as a loss industry when it isn't.

I think that running the country like a business only applies in as much as they need to be accountable, they need to plan ahead and make wise decisions, they need to stop wasting our money and paying their friends for consulting every issue. The services side is not an option, we need services and we expect high standards, which we could easily have if they stopped using our money like their own private cash cow!

   

Pink Flamingo says:"If you lie cheat and swindle chances are you won't make it all that far in the buiness world..." It seems to me that that's the requirement for making it anywhere in the corporate world today. For you to look at the government as a business you must be thinking that because they are in bed with all the corporations that they have given the Canadian citizens resources to by lying, cheating and swindling makes them look like a legitimate business? Had they kept our resources in our hands then maybe we could act like the owners of our great Canadian wealth and we'd all be able to stand in an upright position.

   

Many think that our current economic system (profit at all costs) is unsustainable, just like the economics of slavery were unsustainable. It took a major shake up to change the slave economy, and all that is stopping us from changing our current environmentally unfriendly way of profit is simply the will to do so. People are scared of change.<p> I've said before, that government should be run *like* a business (not *as* a business - slight distinction there) as in, government should operate with the smallest possible operating costs it can. It should provide what is nessecary for the people, but should deliver better bang for the buck (not on a for-profit basis). All that is missing is the House of Commons will to spearhead this change.<p>

   

Dr Caleb, I don't think the government should waste resources and I agree that it should get the most bang for the buck that it can. The accounting rules should be looked at, they should reflect more of what is going on because the info from financial reports is defective. No account is taken of environmental damage or damage to humans. The government should run at a profit, there is no reason for it not to, but the accounting rules need to be changed to reflect reality rather than fiscal concerns only.

   

To add to Jesse's notion that health care can be run at a loss to prevent political upheaval, etc. By running health care at a loss (which is inevitable) the positive spin-offs are imesurable. With the spending of govt money on health the health of the working population is increased, this in turn increases productivity in the economy and increases expendable income that would otherwise be spent on healthcare. Likewise, by giving state healthcare to the elderly the working population is able to focus on being productive and not being emotionally, physically, and financially drained by helping their loved ones (not to make them seem like a burden).

So you see by cutting a loss in one sector the government is 1)creating jobs for health workers, 2) making people healthier to be productive (every business wants this) 3) freeing up resources so as people can spend their money.

   

Just reading through the posts on this subject gives me a gut ache.Do you not realise that Canadians have been screwed.The government is supposed to be FOR the people.WE run the government.WE ARE NOT CUSTOMERS.If the government is run on business like responsability then the people are customers because the government would have responsability to the customers.I don't pay money to a business to have them piss it up a wall. <br /> The system as it is corrupts the politicians.If we have a good and well meaning candidate win an election,the minute he/she puts forth proposals,they are chewed up and changed to suit the political climate and those that run the government. <br /> Those that run the government are the corportions and international banking systems that invariably dictate government policy.The power behing the power if you will.