This should be required reading by everyone under the sun.
In 1913, for instance, thinking it was being overcharged by the steel companies for armor plate for warships, the federal government decided to build its own plant. It estimated that a plant with a 10,000-ton annual capacity could produce armor plate for only 70% of what the steel companies charged.
When the plant was finally finished, however — three years after World War I had ended — it was millions over budget and able to produce armor plate only at twice what the steel companies charged. It produced one batch and then shut down, never to reopen.
The reasons listed for why government can’t run businesses include:
- Governments are run by politicians, not businessmen.
- Politicians need headlines.
- Government does not tolerate competition.
- Government enterprises are almost always monopolies and thus do not face competition at all.
- Successful corporations are run by benevolent despots.
- Government is regulated by government.

Yep, good luck with that car thingy
izoneguy Friday, May 29th at 10:52PM EDT (link)GM/Chrysler should be pumping out cars at about 1/2 capacity by the end of the summer…and they will probably cost twice as much.
Which won’t matter if Obama and the UAW can crush the imports of foreign built cars.
GM And UAW Sparring Over Foreign Production Continues
http://wallstreetpit.com/4374-gm-and-uaw-sparring-over-foreign-production-continues
“When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson
Just buy American
texas214 Friday, May 29th at 11:19PM EDT (link)BMW, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes….. all now have models built in America without the UAW/Obama.
7. A "Federal" business cannot cause a bankruptcy
6eorge Jetson Friday, May 29th at 11:05PM EDT (link)While a money losing Federal Govt endeavor can become an annoyance, the size of the Federal budget and the underlying power to tax will dwarf the size of any specific subsidy. Thus, the absolute economic constraints that force private, bottom-line conscious companies to optimize (at least to some degree) operate at best very, very weakly on government businesses.
As long as political capital exists, subsidies can cover for endeavors not worth their cost.
What a perfect explanation for why gov't should
Jeff Emanuel Friday, May 29th at 11:11PM EDT (link)never be allowed to run health care
JE
I own a GMC, but will never spend a $ on them again
texas214 Friday, May 29th at 11:12PM EDT (link)I’ve made up my mind that i will no longer, ever support the take over of any American industry by the government/UAW. We all should band together and agree that while in the past we wanted to “buy American” that no longer applies when these companies (GM/Chrysler) are hijacked by un-American actions.
Toyota, Honda, BMW, Mercedes are companies that now build in America, under American policies, with American employees, and will now get my business because the are “American” companies.
PS. Ford is a great company but my money would go to the UAW, and that bothers me.
It's been treid already. It was called the "Soviet Union".
Vladimir Friday, May 29th at 11:23PM EDT (link)And they were characterized by crappy, poorly designed consumer goods. Plenty of shoes, all in size 8-1/2 B. Rampant alcoholism. No regard for the environment. No regard for economics.
There is no opinion, however absurd, which men will not readily embrace as soon as they can be brought to the conviction that it is generally adopted. - Arthur Schopenhauer
I just want to be a fashionable and mysterious expatriate
Achance Friday, May 29th at 11:39PM EDT (link)living in exile, fleeing from the revolution and the assassins. Trouble is, Paris and London just don’t do it anymore, so where would I take my ill-gotten gains and live in decaying decadence during the fin d’siecle? They just don’t make revolutions like they used to; instead of jackboots on your stairs, this one just come with an increase in your credit card interest.
In Vino Veritas
Erick I think you should add cpl more points...
antisocial Saturday, May 30th at 2:53AM EDT (link)1>Political considerations always trump economic realities because political advantage is what government looks for.
2>Government is inherently corrupt.
3>Government is not accountable for its failures.
In the history of civilization government has NEVER been successful in business.
No you can’t - Moe Lane
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The Emperor has no clothes!!!
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Republicans who lost the Crap-and-Raid fight in the House -
Mary Bomo Mac (CA-45)
Mike Castle (DE)
Mark Kirk (IL-10)
Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02)
Chris Smith (NJ-04)
Leonard Lance (NJ-07)
John M. McHugh (NY-23)
Dave Reichert (WA-08)
Also
Right_Again Saturday, May 30th at 8:12AM EDT (link)1. It’s not their money, so they don’t care what it costs.
2. Governments lack a profit motive. The bottom line is irrelevant.
3. There are always relatives and friends of the politicians in charge who need continuing employment.
4. Working hours are 8 to 5 five days a week (if even that). At 5:01 most government buildings are totally empty.
Excellent
Warner Todd Huston Saturday, May 30th at 3:12AM EDT (link)Too bad so many Americans are wholly ignorant of these salient points.
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Be sure and Visit my Home blog Publius’ Forum. It’s what’s happening NOW!
I think he misses some salient points
Streiff Saturday, May 30th at 7:46AM EDT (link)1. I can’t agree with the “political decision” bullet at all. Any government business is going to be run by career civil servants who have to survive from one administration to the next.
2. Government is structured to spend money, not make money. Your agency gets punished for underspending so their is no incentive to save or invest.
3. Governments are risks averse. They are much more likely to do a task the way it has always been done (”no body ever got fired for buying IBM”) than to look to innovation.
4. You get paid the same whether you are successful or not.
5. Power is measured by the number of people you supervise not by the amount of money you make.
“A man does what he can and endures what he must.”
10000 tons it amazing what modern tech can do
oklahomajon Saturday, May 30th at 7:56AM EDT (link)I am with a steel com in Oklahoma and we can produce about that much in one week if we run full bore and everthing goes good in the mill it amazing what American know how and free enterprise has done but when the goverment start takeing over the car co. your are going to have about one production maybe third we think they have been badly manged just wait and the look at it Obama givingthe union part ownship in the car company is a payoff bigtime