Government “Efficiency”

In the on going debate over health care and the Obamacare take over of it,the subject of private sector vs government efficiency came up on a local evening talk show.The show had the usual collection of conservatives and liberals hashing out their various talking points and basically not changing any one’s mind as usual.

Then one of the libs said something that made me bust out laughing.”Health care is one of those things government does more efficiently”she said.Once I stopped laughing I thought of all the examples where the government is an absolute disaster and destroys everything it touches.It’s an easy list to come up with,since it basically includes everything.

So I started thinking about efficiency in the private sector.In the private sector a company will sink or swim on the smallest of profit margins,any prolonged levels of inefficiency affects the bottom line and if not corrected bankruptcy is the end result.This afternoon there was a show on TV that featured a brief overview of the manufacturing process involved in making ordinary kitchen matches.Being a Machinist and Millwright I know much more of what the details are in the whole supply chain of making a consumer product and spent a few minutes thinking of what it really takes for private enterprise to supply such a seemingly simple everyday item,so here goes-

The landowner who sells his timber to the logging company is the first link in the chain.The logging crew shows up on the timber tract with $1million dollars plus in machinery.The logs are cut and hauled to the mill where the process begins.About $2-3 million dollars worth of machinery takes over and out the other end of the plant brand new boxes of matches emerge ready to be shipped out.At that point a truck driver behind the wheel of a $150,000 rig picks up a load of matches and delivers them to a retail store distribution center where the load is broken down and shipped out the to the various retailers stores where they are sold to the public.It’s kind of boring right?Well stay with me for another minute.

Looking at the big picture,the logging crew made payroll,paid notes on their equipment,made a profit and paid taxes.The manufacturer ran the raw material through the entire process.Added value by using chemicals and paper provided by other manufacturers who also have been through all the additive steps.The match company utilised all of their equipment,made payroll,made a profit and paid taxes.The trucking company did the same and the retailer did also.All down through the supply chain hundreds if not thousands of people all played a role and made a living doing so and all of this happened with no influence or control by the government.So what’s the big deal you say?

After all that a box of kitchen matches sells for $2 on average and they nearly always work every time.The government spent $635,000,000 building health care.org  the official website for government health care and it never has worked and shows no signs that it ever will.

I rest my case.