example #7,925,340 why government run health care may not be the best idea

[The_Professor]

It is just as easy to prevent the employment of fools in a government than anywhere else.

I wish you were right .

Hmmm, I wonder.

Many of the students at the college I teach routinely brag about their DoD civiian jobs at the local AFB. They brag about not having to work very hard and yet getting good pay and benefits. They find it laugable and if you ask most of my students who do not have a job there, they would give their right thumb for a job there.

Is this a problem in human nature or ?
Is this a surprise?

[The_Professor]

In general, most of the United States swallows the neoliberal perception that private industries run projects more efficiently. Whether that is true or not in varying circumstances is of course another story completely.

My experience tells me that private industry is more efficient as profits, etc. are on the line.

[The_Professor]

An HMO doctor will not see you at all without an appointment, but Social Security will.

ROFL

I've been to HMO doctors without an appointment (indeed, most of my visits have been without appointments) - even on weekends or the middle of the night - and very few government offices are open AT ALL outside of certain hours.

And try to get many Govt workers to work over 40 hours in a week. When I was in the IRS, I got comp time on a 1:1 basis for any work over 40 hours in a week, I NEVER got that in the private sector. EVER.

[Xavier_Onassis]

My experience tells me that private industry is more efficient as profits, etc. are on the line.

========================
Your brain ought to tell you that the private industry will fail if it does not turn a nice profit, at least 15% annuallly and needs to grow or perish, while a government provides its services at cost, and has no need to grow at all.

If a government enterprise is i9nefficient, it is most often because some politicians decide to stuff some pork in the mix.

Agfa film was run by the government for over 30 years by the government and sold film for less than Kodak.
The Alaska railroad was run at a profit as a government corporation for years, until statehood gave Alaska politicians to screw it up.

Compare UPS service and cost with the USPS, and USPS wins hands down: better and more convenient service at a lower cost and with higher wages for its workers.

[Michael Tee]

<<And try to get many Govt workers to work over 40 hours in a week. When I was in the IRS, I got comp time on a 1:1 basis for any work over 40 hours in a week, I NEVER got that in the private sector. EVER.>>

Aren't you glad that 100% of the value of your overtime labour went directly into the pockets of your bosses without one cent of it coming to you?  I'm sure that they must have really deserved every penny of it.  You must have felt real good about it, donating the value of your labour over and above what you were paid to perform, to such a great cause.

[Xavier_Onassis]

And try to get many Govt workers to work over 40 hours in a week. When I was in the IRS, I got comp time on a 1:1 basis for any work over 40 hours in a week, I NEVER got that in the private sector. EVER.

===========================
So your model for success involves screwing the workers?

If I taught at a public college I would make half again as much, and my students would pay less than half as much. And the president would not call me into his office and tell me that I had an obligation to kick back a part of my meager salary to the institution as a charitable do9nation so HE (who was making four times my salary) would not look bad in front of other college presidents. So please, take that sorry asshole tale elsewhere: I am not buying it for a nanosecond.

[The_Professor]

<<And try to get many Govt workers to work over 40 hours in a week. When I was in the IRS, I got comp time on a 1:1 basis for any work over 40 hours in a week, I NEVER got that in the private sector. EVER.>>

Aren't you glad that 100% of the value of your overtime labour went directly into the pockets of your bosses without one cent of it coming to you?  I'm sure that they must have really deserved every penny of it.  You must have felt real good about it, donating the value of your labour over and above what you were paid to perform, to such a great cause.

?

[_JS]

In general, most of the United States swallows the neoliberal perception that private industries run projects more efficiently. Whether that is true or not in varying circumstances is of course another story completely.

My experience tells me that private industry is more efficient as profits, etc. are on the line.

My experience tells me otherwise.

[The_Professor]

And try to get many Govt workers to work over 40 hours in a week. When I was in the IRS, I got comp time on a 1:1 basis for any work over 40 hours in a week, I NEVER got that in the private sector. EVER.

===========================
So your model for success involves screwing the workers?

If I taught at a public college I would make half again as much, and my students would pay less than half as much. And the president would not call me into his office and tell me that I had an obligation to kick back a part of my meager salary to the institution as a charitable do9nation so HE (who was making four times my salary) would not look bad in front of other college presidents. So please, take that sorry asshole tale elsewhere: I am not buying it for a nanosecond.

I am not sure what you mean, XO. What is your point here? I work at apublic college and we are "highly encouraged" to pay to thecollege Foundation. I kick in $25 a pay period. The faculty and staff participation rate on campus is near 100%. But, how does that deal with the issue of overtime, etc?

[The_Professor]

In general, most of the United States swallows the neoliberal perception that private industries run projects more efficiently. Whether that is true or not in varying circumstances is of course another story completely.

My experience tells me that private industry is more efficient as profits, etc. are on the line.

My experience tells me otherwise.

A colleague of mine recently went to Tennessess to run their welfare agency IT operations or something similar. He indicates it is a mess of uninspired Government workers. He says if they are in the middle of a project, they will just get up and leave if their eight hours are up instead of staying and finishing. I would NEVER have been allowed that latitude in the private sector. At EDS, for example, our standard workweek was 60 hours. They were honest enough to tell you in the job interview and they stuck to it. Typically, it was much more than that. In the years I worked for them, they were NEVER, read this carefully, NEVER late or over-budget on a project. Now, is that a good thing? Yep. Except they acheived this on the backs of their workers. So, a balance msut be observed. But, how do we determine this balance? Who determines this?

[_JS]

I currently work in the private sector. I have before and I've worked in the public sector as well.

The differences are amazing. Yes, I work longer hours now...

But I stand by my comment.

[Plane]

a government office sets its own standards of service , for many government offices repeat customers are not especially wanted.

[The_Professor]

I currently work in the private sector. I have before and I've worked in the public sector as well.

The differences are amazing. Yes, I work longer hours now...

But I stand by my comment.

And your rationale is?

[The_Professor]

Good point, Plane.

If a recessino deos in deed come, will even more employess flock to the public sector due to job security issues?

[_JS]

I currently work in the private sector. I have before and I've worked in the public sector as well.

The differences are amazing. Yes, I work longer hours now...

But I stand by my comment.

And your rationale is?

I've seen much more efficiency in the public sector than in the private sector. I've seen people do more with much less. Yes, they take their breaks and their working hours seriously, but for the lower amount of pay and the ridiculously lower amount of spending on non-personnel items it is simply amazing what the public sector can do in my experience. As Mike said, they do even better when they can work around the legislature's politics. And I've never seen politics as brutal as in the private sector.