The Customer is Always Right

A Citizen’s Relationship to Government

What is a citizen’s relationship to his/her government? In the U.S. we are the government, represented by elected officials. We, as a people, agree to abide by the government that serves our collective needs. This concept is as old as government itself. Across time and cultures, political philosophers from Plato to Thoreau refined this concept termed the Social Contract.

In our Social Contract we forego individual “freedom” (or “anarchy” for lack of a better term) for collective protection against external and internal threats. This expectation later grew beyond defense and law enforcement to include other governmental functions, services, and entitlements.

The Necessary Monopoly

In the private sector, when a service or product is only available from one corporation, that corporation has a monopoly. Sometimes that monopoly is necessary because economy of scale makes that service as cheap as possible. That lack of competition typically has a negative impact on quality and customer service. Comparably, the Federal government has a necessary monopoly on the services it provides its citizens.  

A Customer’s Relationship to Business

Americans are customers to the Federal government. We pay taxes and abide by federal laws in return for national services. Using this analogy, our interactive blog will explore how adopting private sector best practices can improve services and reduce costs – ultimately benefitting us – the American consumer!