My 2¢ worth as a small business owner:  To a limited degree I have
worked in both sectors and in my experience there is no comparison to
the inefficiencies, unproductivity,... of the government sector compared
to a small business.  I have never worked in a large corporation, but
most of the population is employed by smaller entities.  Having filled
out tons and tons of paperwork for government jobs (plus dealings with
Fish & Wildlife, IRS,...) as compared to working with smaller
institutions (i.e. museums, small corporations, ...) the amount of waste
in government related work makes me cringe.  In most small businesses
that actually stay in business there is no room for large amounts of
waste and extravagances.  Additionally, if we didn't care and watch out
for our employees (similiar to shareholders), customers and the general
public we would not be in business.  I don't think the government is
watching out for us small businesses.  [Ooops!  I sound a bit bitter.
I'm sure my opinion is a little biased given my personal experiece]

Betty Brennan

Alan Sisley wrote:
>
> Andy Finch wrote:
> snip
> >
> > May I also say, as an former employee on Capitol Hill, at a public
> > university, and at a Fortune 500 company, that the waste and extravagance
> > at the company were far greater than any I've seen in government.  Or to
> > put it another way, the company's disregard of shareholders, not to
> > mention customers and the general public, far outstripped any supposed
> > arrogance on the part of a government agency towards the taxpayers.
> >
> Very true Andy,
>
> The supposed efficiency of the private sector as opposed to the public
> sector is a myth known to be false by anyone who has worked extensively
> in both sectors.
>
> I too have  found gross wastage, bad customer service and incompetence
> to be rife in the public sector, and far less in govermnment.
>
> The myth of the relative efficiencies no doubt developed in the "bad old
> days" when jobs were secure in both sectors and thus people remained
> with the job most of their lives, knowing little about the other
> sector,(and as is the wont of human nature) imagining life to be cushier
> on the other side.
> It is also of course, much easier for a politician to publicly blame the
> mechanics of government for his own policy failures, than it is to blame
> the mechanics of his supporters in private enterprise.
>
> These days  many of us have moved (of necessity!) between capitalism and
> beaurocracy, and will no longer accept that drivel about private
> enterprise being lean and mean and far better at business. In fact, the
> opposite is more often the case!
>
> Alan Sisley
> Director
> Orange Regional Gallery
> NSW Australia