Government Inefficiency

One thing I've heard over and over again, in the current debate over health care reform, but in truth all my life, is people griping about how inefficient government is. We seem to take it as a matter of faith, as an unescapable reality that anything the government does it must be inefficient.

Now, I'm not debating that this is the sad state of affairs in many things that the government does. What I take offense at is that we as a people have come to expect this, that this inefficiency is as inescapable and as permanent as the sun rising in the east every morning.

Who ever said that government operations must be inefficient? Why do we accept that so many things the government does are done inefficiently? Why do we not refuse to accept this, and make our government at all levels, federal, state, and local, more efficient? Are we all just stupid? It's our own money that we're talking about, after all.

Now, I work for the government, specifically as a civilian aircraft engine mechanic for the Air Force. It's a good job, and I'm very glad to have it. And I do what I can to do my best every single day I'm at work; I do try to give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, which is fair all around. And I'd say that most of my co-workers do the same.

Previously, I worked in the commercial airline industry, at a couple of third-party maintenance providers. I will say that some of the procedures the government uses are bewildering, and would make absolutely no sense on the outside, i.e., for companies that actually have to turn a profit, or go out of business. It would be a good thing if the government would hold itself to 'best commercial practices' standards in all things; the government does not have to turn a profit, but it should act as if it did. If government at all levels had that commercial 'be profitable or die' mentality in it's operations, I know we'd save untold billions every single year.

But the main thing is that all of us need to demand better accountability and better efficiency from our government.