So often we hear people say government should be run more like business. Perhaps in the past, up until the 1960s or so, it might have been more relevant as the majority of business was still run with a community-corporate culture. Over the last several decades the majority of businesses have seen their culture change from community participant to profit driven entity; subsequently, running government like a business makes zero sense. Government isn’t about profit, it is about service.
As we continue to increase the magnitude of our whining about how politicians are out for themselves, and government doesn’t represent the people, we often fail to look locally at how we, ourselves, can address the continued trend in failed government operations and operatives, be they elected or administrative. How? By looking at the way we engage with it. More often than not you’ll find a lack of community engagement with local government, until a point of crisis, and/or personal impact. Such engagement takes place within an environment that has already been shaped and twice as hard to turn.
Good government can only exist in an environment that is transparent. And transparency is only impactful if the community is engaged, looking, and willing to address issues. Life can be exhausting, so addressing poor governance isn’t high on very many people’s list; subsequently, the political and governing dumpster fires continue to burn. Perhaps the first step is to get, and keep government administrators and elected officials in place that the community can trust. Kathleen Sebelius sums it up best, “The essence of good government is trust.”
Do you trust those running the government entities that impact you?