We got our way, America! All my life I’ve heard, “We need to run the government like a business.” Now, with our new President, we’ll get a chance to see how well that works.
It will be interesting to see how USA, Inc. prospers as a business. How it will market our “company” among all the other “companies” of the world. How it will meet or change our company’s policies in regards to workforce discrimination in hiring, firing, promotions, wages, and benefits. Whether it, like all major companies in good standing, will continue working for the good of the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized. Whether it will establish (and stick to) adequate budgets to cover its plans and obligations, and how it will earn money to cover those budgets. What its main products will be–peace, justice, human rights, a decent life for its employees, or fatter bank accounts for the few.
What will the board room look like, as department heads who have declared their desire to dissolve or greatly downsize and weaken their own departments, gather to discuss policy. Will they listen to its 324,118,787 “stockholders”? Will they vote to enact a major policy even though one member has tacked on an expensive, unrelated, or frivolous item into the proposal? Will they, who are already quite rich, be willing to take a cut in their large paychecks if needed to help the company, its shareholders, and employees?
I wonder how USA, Inc. will deal with the other companies of the world. Will we continue trying for an image of leadership, fairness, and opportunity for employees? Will we court other companies as friends and business partners or isolate ourselves and demand that other companies beg to interact with us and our people, buy our products, and do what we say? What tools will we use to enforce contracts–negotiation, compromise, logic, and reason, or knee-jerk reaction, blackmail, and deadly force?
Will USA rebuild its crumbling, endangered buildings (infrastructure) and grounds (Earth)?
In short, I’m curious to see how USA, Inc. keeps its eye on the goal of the long-term good of the company, its employees and stockholders, and all the other businesses of the world.
