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Some of them produce useful goods and services, but at a drastically lower efficiency than the private sector due to lack of competition and economic incentives
by danenania 15y ago
Some of them produce useful goods and services, but at a drastically lower efficiency than the private sector due to lack of competition and economic incentives (spending other people´s money). Still it´s good that someone is planning out the roads and running fire departments, even if they´re bad at it. On the other hand, the government also produces a lot of counterproductive ´services´ like war, financial meltdowns, and software patents. It´s in no way obvious that government employees as a whole do less harm than good.
- paulcedars 15y agoI think that your position is ideological and not correct. The government provides institutions that lower risk to the rest of the economy and enable more stability and growth. Is regulatory capture a problem at some agencies? Sure. Are some departments outdated or ineffective? Sure. But it is irresponsible to look at a few cases and claim that the entire government is a problem. You want to see less government? Visit Yemen or gangster Russia
- tomjen3 15y agoI have downvoted you, because strawmen attack are bad form of debate. One can ask for less government without wanting to be ruled by a warlord.
- danenania 15y ago"You want to see less government? Visit Yemen or gangster Russia" Quite a strange statement given that the governments of both those countries are central to their problems and deeply involved in crime and corruption themselves. In Yemen the government employees shoot innocent people in broad daylight with impunity. Real libertarian haven they've got there.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- namdnay 15y ago"the government also produces [...] financial meltdowns, and software patents": Huh? Isn't that a) Banks and b) Software companies?
- sixtofour 15y agoPretty sure he meant that the govt enables software patents.
- doctoboggan 15y agoI can't speak for all government agencies, but in the area of the government that I work, we have created no software patents at all. In fact nearly all the software we create is open source, and we are encouraged to use and contribute to other open source products. It's the very fact that we do not have a profit motive that allows us to do this.