Sorry. I thought that it was implicit that since governments do not
operate on a profit/loss basis, the quality/productivity motive is not
there, but that is neither here nor there. I was assuming two possible
scenarios: a) where government is socialist and runs nationalized
companies, which require capital investements to modernize, expand, etc.
just like any business, and b) where government is more laissez faire,
private businesses are competing in the market with nationalized company
A, and compete in the money markets for investment capital. In this
situation, the nationalized company issues government backed tax free
bonds, while private company B simply issues stock, capital gains on
which is taxed. If socialized government business was so much better,
then obviously it would be able to provide a higher rate of return on
invenstment to purchasers of its bonds, without having to offer tax-free
status to the gains. Since not socialized companies have ever done this,
then this is an obvious financial yardstick to show that private
business is more successful than private business.
We don't even need to look at different countries. We can simply look at
a comparison between the United States Postal Service and companies like
UPS, FedEx, Airborne, etc.
This case study is also a good comparison to show that labor also does
better under private enterprise than government socialism. UPS has the
highest wages for almost all of its regular part and full time
positions, while the USPS's jobs rank in the lower half, in a comparison
of employees in the postal/parcel delivery industries. This was BEFORE
the latest strike. WOrkers at the post office can't go on strike due to
government regulations. Hmmmm, what seems to be wrong here?
>
> : In terms of how well consumers are treated by product or service
> : providers, perhaps we can use yardsticks like:
> : a) what is the relative accident rate in automobiles between the US and
> : former Soviet Union (in accidents/fatalities per vehicle)?
> [etc]
>
> That's better.
>
> : Some other questions to ask:
> :
> : How many people have been shot and killed in their beds
> : by hit squads hired by the mom and pop store down the street
> : (including New York City, I'll be daring)?
>
> Hm, there ought to be a story in that. Perhaps a black-comic
> movie, in the vein of "No Way To Treat A Lady".
>
I'll bet even including organized crime hits (mafioso), the government
law enforcement agencies still kills far more law abiding citizens than
by private organizations. Criminals tend to kill other criminals,
especially when it is concerning any type of organized crime. Cops don't
seem to care who they shoot, so long as they aren't be shot back at.
-- TANSTAAFL!!! Michael Lorrey ------------------------------------------------------------ mailto:retroman@together.net Inventor of the Lorrey Drive MikeySoft: Graphic Design/Animation/Publishing/Engineering ------------------------------------------------------------ How many fnords did you see before breakfast today?