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From left to right, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump on the 2016 campaign trail. (Photo: Reuters)
Trump's Business of Government
The White House has announced that Trump will name his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to run a new Office of American Innovation - described as a SWAT team of strategic consultants staffed by former business executives, designed to infuse fresh thinking into Washington and help make government work more like a business.
It's good to have fresh thinking about how government might function more efficiently. But it's important to remember that government is not a business. The purpose of government is not to show a profit. It is to achieve the common good.
Mar 28, 2017
The White House has announced that Trump will name his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to run a new Office of American Innovation - described as a SWAT team of strategic consultants staffed by former business executives, designed to infuse fresh thinking into Washington and help make government work more like a business.
It's good to have fresh thinking about how government might function more efficiently. But it's important to remember that government is not a business. The purpose of government is not to show a profit. It is to achieve the common good.
Precisely because there are many different views about the common good, government leaders must be capable of listening and responding to many different opinions and perspectives.
They must also be public educators - telling the public the truth, explaining the consequences of different options, and conducting public deliberation about what is best for society.
Above all, presidents should enrich and strengthen democracy - building trust in democratic institutions, avoiding conflicts of interests, and promoting tolerance and social cohesion.
So far, Donald Trump has done the opposite. He doesn't need more business advice. He needs more advice about how to lead a democracy.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
The White House has announced that Trump will name his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to run a new Office of American Innovation - described as a SWAT team of strategic consultants staffed by former business executives, designed to infuse fresh thinking into Washington and help make government work more like a business.
It's good to have fresh thinking about how government might function more efficiently. But it's important to remember that government is not a business. The purpose of government is not to show a profit. It is to achieve the common good.
Precisely because there are many different views about the common good, government leaders must be capable of listening and responding to many different opinions and perspectives.
They must also be public educators - telling the public the truth, explaining the consequences of different options, and conducting public deliberation about what is best for society.
Above all, presidents should enrich and strengthen democracy - building trust in democratic institutions, avoiding conflicts of interests, and promoting tolerance and social cohesion.
So far, Donald Trump has done the opposite. He doesn't need more business advice. He needs more advice about how to lead a democracy.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
The White House has announced that Trump will name his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to run a new Office of American Innovation - described as a SWAT team of strategic consultants staffed by former business executives, designed to infuse fresh thinking into Washington and help make government work more like a business.
It's good to have fresh thinking about how government might function more efficiently. But it's important to remember that government is not a business. The purpose of government is not to show a profit. It is to achieve the common good.
Precisely because there are many different views about the common good, government leaders must be capable of listening and responding to many different opinions and perspectives.
They must also be public educators - telling the public the truth, explaining the consequences of different options, and conducting public deliberation about what is best for society.
Above all, presidents should enrich and strengthen democracy - building trust in democratic institutions, avoiding conflicts of interests, and promoting tolerance and social cohesion.
So far, Donald Trump has done the opposite. He doesn't need more business advice. He needs more advice about how to lead a democracy.
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