tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post1498864191011419019..comments2024-03-26T19:10:00.791-04:00Comments on West Coast Stat Views (on Observational Epidemiology and more): Government as a business? A continuing explorationJosephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10760453165301871031noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post-59527064690338916512012-02-14T00:28:39.712-05:002012-02-14T00:28:39.712-05:00One of the myriad ironies here is that, even thoug...One of the myriad ironies here is that, even though the analogies between government finances and those of households and businesses are deeply flawed, they still don't support the conclusions of the people drawing them. <br /><br />If you have purchases that need to be made (and are costly to defer) and you are offered an interest-free loan, it really doesn't matter whether you need to modernize your electrical grid, update your IT system, or get a new roof -- you borrow the money.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14705408455380402571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post-60142810770895226862012-02-13T18:09:18.022-05:002012-02-13T18:09:18.022-05:00Yes.
Though it's very difficult for people to...Yes.<br /><br />Though it's very difficult for people to wrap their minds around the concept. Part of the problem is the attitude which Mark illuminated in the Block that Metaphor! post. There is an assumption that business is good and the driver of the economy without any reflection on the fact there are plenty of inefficient businesses in the world. Like you stated "But businesses make mistakes too." I would go further by saying that a lot of businesses make a lot of mistakes.<br /><br />The talk about the national deficit and debt is troubling because it's so simple-minded. There is a huge difference between good debt and bad debt. Good debt increases opportunity in the future while bad debt doesn't. I'm not suggesting the majority of U.S. government debt is good debt, but to say "we need to shrink the size of government" is a very childlike thing to say.<br /><br />The unquestioned run that this country had after World War 2 is over. If we don't consider long term goals and steps to reach those goals and if we don't follow through with those steps, the country is facing a sustained loss. Yes, this is a good time for infrastructure projects, why? Because to be a leader tomorrow, you have to prepare and build today. The United States has an outdated inefficient power grid and even more outdated rail system. Yet no one has the intellect and willpower in Congress to pass improvements which will benefit us for decades in the future.Bill Trudohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12071375710902131635noreply@blogger.com