The government is “shut down.”
Media call this a “crisis.”
A “crisis (with) no deal in sight,” says Fox News.
Reuters says it’s a “key risk to US stability.”
But when I look around, I see business as usual — families raise children, workers work, people play music …
The media act like government is the most important part of life. It isn’t. Fortunately, most of life, and the best of life, happens outside government.
Yes, we need government. Limited government. Enough to keep us safe.
But most of life doesn’t depend on what goes through D.C.
Most of life thrives without government, often, despite government.
During shutdowns, government tells “nonessential” workers not to come to work. But if they’re nonessential, why do we employ them?
The shutdown is certainly a problem for the 1.4 million federal employees currently working without pay or furloughed. But they will likely get paid once government’s back in business. That’s what happened before.
The media claim flights are delayed because of Air Traffic Control staffing shortages. CNN writes, “Delays spread to major airports across the country, as the government shutdown impacts travelers.”
But many of these delays happen because government runs Air Traffic Control, and government management isn’t good.
In other places (airports in Canada, the U.K., Germany, Australia), Air Traffic Control is privately run. A Government Accountability Office report found that private systems lead to fewer delays.
Even security screenings work better when they’re private. At San Francisco’s airport, security lines move faster, and passengers told me, “The screeners are nicer!”
They’re nicer and faster because in San Francisco (also Kansas City and some smaller airports), private companies handle security. The TSA even acknowledges that private screeners are better at finding contraband.
So why does government do these things?
It shouldn’t.
Private operators are better because they must compete. Competition makes everybody sharper. Succeed, or you get fired.
But government never fires itself. It’s why its incompetent government workers stay incompetent.
It’s also why the Pentagon flunks audits and uses outdated computers.
Shutdowns are supposed to show how vital government is. Instead, they show the opposite.
Now, some farmers complain that they’re not getting government support checks. But why should farmers get taxpayer funding in the first place?
Politicians said it was needed to “save family farms,” but it doesn’t. It mostly subsidizes big agribusiness.
Some claim America needs government aid to “guarantee the food supply.” But we don’t. Fruit and vegetable growers get nothing from Washington. There’s no shortage of tomatoes, peaches or green beans …
We should take a chainsaw to much of government.
Consider government inspections of foods. We’re told to be glad USDA inspectors are considered “essential” and will stay on the job to keep us safe.
But meat is safe not because of bureaucratically mandated inspections but mostly because of competition.
Food sellers have a reputation to uphold. If their food poisons us, people won’t buy from them.
As a result, today’s food producers take more safety measures than government requires. One told me they employ a thousand more safety inspectors than the government demands.
Stories like that rarely get coverage.
Politicians, gathered in D.C., are easy to report on. Journalists lazily obsess about them because they’re easy to interview. It’s impossible to cover millions of individuals pursuing our own interests.
But it’s we who make America work. Not bureaucrats bickering in D.C.
Media pundits will continue to act as if shutdowns are a crisis, but they’re not.
We’ve “survived” shutdowns before, and we’ll “survive” this one.
Photo by Andy Feliciotti on Unsplash
I have always said the same thing about “the non-essential” workers. Everything thing the government sticks their nose in gets screwed up. Like the saying we’re from the government and we’re here to help!
Thank you John Stossel for your analysis and reporting on the need for less government intervention in our lives. I agree wholeheartedly that we should eliminate the jobs deemed “nonessential” by government managers. I never had people on the payroll in businesses I managed I considered non essential. Our goal should be a government, excluding the military that is 1/3 the size it was in 2019. We should also look at our military spending with an eye to wise spending for innovation, training, readiness and a rock solid supply chain for our troops.
John,
While I agree with most of what you say I do disagree with Privatized ATC. As a general aviation pilot and aircraft owner the talk of privatized ATC has been going on for years will all of us cringing at that thought. It would KILL general aviation in this country as a recreational and personal level. Think of it as if you had to pay your taxes AND you paid a toll for every road you drive your car on regardless of what you are using it for. Go out your driveway for a loaf of bread….here’s your bill for driving.
Privatized ATC ONLY benefits the airlines and they are the ones that push it CONSTANTLY. You talk about benefiting big ag business….well privatized ATC will benefit the airlines and force everyone else to pay to use something that has been free since it’s inception.
We do have privatized ATC already in the country on a limited scale. Some airport control towers are staffed by contracted employees that guess what….were trained by the government (military or FAA) so if we privatize the whole system who’s going to train them?
The ATC delays and problems go way beyond staffing. The system is taxed to is limit currently because we have SO many airlines out there flying. The airlines pay their share but it should be more, just like commercial trucking in this country. Trucking companies are taxed more than a joe average citizen to use the roadways and tolled higher when using a toll road.
Don’t privatize ATC just fix the funding stream to reflect the highest volume users.
Oh and from a passenger stand point I’m sure it seems like all these other countries privatized systems are working well but look at their accident rates (if they report them accurately) and talk to the pilots/companies that use them. They pay more for lesser quality service.
I really appreciate your viewpoints and keep it up we need more of this in our country!
Perhaps we can use this opportunity to determine the fat in the government and trim it out…
I find it interesting that SAN FRANCISCO, of all places, has privatized security.
Left-wing San Francisco. Who knew.
Here’s something to think about. Liberals criticize Ronald Reagan for firing air traffic controlers. If air traffic control was privatized, Reagan wouldn’t have been able to do that.
I completely agree. The sky hasn’t fallen yet.
All your points are valid in my opinion. The Federal Government needs to be reduced by well over 50%. Why is it that corporations, medium, and small private businesses have been able to drastically reduce their workforce due to computers and all automation? Because they operated to make a profit, whereas the government operates to not just sustain, but enlarge the federal graving train. I hope President Trump continues cutting Federal jobs and does not bring any back after the shutdown opens.
Here are a few sure ways to ensure Federal Government Shutdowns do not happen in the future, & Trump has the influence and power to make the cowards in Congress vote for these measures:
1. Congressman and staff receive no compensation during a shutdown & no “back pay” when it re-opens.
2. Federal employees do not receive any compensation during a shutdown, and will not receive “back pay” once the shutdown is over. The employees would flood their congressman to NOT shut down, and if it did, they would demand immediate reopening.
3. ALL Federal income tax revenue is immediately suspended with a shutdown, or all earners receive a full credit on their income tax return for the number of days, weeks, or whatever the dumbass in Congress shuts down the government!
So glad I found you again. I gave a small donation (I’m assisted living with small socially security).
I wish you would do a piece about what we can do to eliminate big government. I try to vote libertarian, but am registered Republican.
Keep up the good work.