That's why citizens must recognize that term limits are not a magic tonic that will finally solve our most urgent public problems. Q. Examples of government waste fill evening newscasts. It's the great white lie that nearly everyone tells. Many politicians score points with their calls to make government more like the private sector. Yet after the elections, they find it's not possible.
Efficiency is a fantastic goal for government and business.
For example, many people say government should start treating citizens as customers. If a restaurant or manufacturer serves its customers badly, it will go out of business. Yet government is not that simple. Citizens are not merely customers of government, they are its owners. Treating citizens as customers trivializes their role in our democracy.