Has anyone ever tried running a country like a business? Specifically, with a benevolent dictator at the helm and a board of directors that keep the stakeholders (the citizens) best interests in mind?

A country is not a business, and shouldn't be ran as such. So, it seems, the question is faulty.

No one has tried it.

Who would be the shareholders ? The voters ?

Even IF they could, which is idiotic at best they would still do what they do now. keep us all fighting with each other so they can keep *STEAL* all the money.

I strongly encourage you to read the George Orwell book "Animal Farm" to understand the inevitable consequences of such a system....:-P...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_farm

Not possible. Gov. can not lay off all the workers and move to another country.

Businesses are out to make a profit, the working class be damned.

Rather like the Bu$h Administration, eh?

Considering that inevitably, the CEO of a corporation is just out to line his/her own pockets at the expense of the stakeholders, then I'd say just about every non-Democratic country, and more than a few Arabic countries like Saddam Hussein's was run like a business.

That, I believe, is the utopian aim of all cabinet governments. Every aspect of society covered by one executive member, and the Prime Minister at the helm. Whether any government is ever successful in this aim is debatable.

Apparently not, if this GREAT idea had been practiced I seriously doubt we would be in this mess.

Yes. The benevolent dictator is called a "President", and the Board of Directors is called a "Congress", and the country has Articles of Incorporation called a "Constitution".

The big problem ism how you choose the Benevolent Dictator and the Board of Directors. You could, I suppose, use a pin and a telephone directory. But the question is, *which* citizens best interests should they keep in mind? Some people think it might be better to let people choose their own Chairman and Supervisory Board rather than let whoever manages to push himself into the job hav it.

Are you channeling Obama?