The Hawaiian word for government is aupuni – which also means an action of being “surrounded” or “enclosed”. If you think about it, government does surround us, and it should feel wonderful to us – like a hug from our family or taking a walk under the big blue sky. It should and does make us safe, protect our property, establish fair rules for commerce, create a system of education, and provide what each of us cannot provide on our own – things like a system of roads and water and sanitation. So why do some feel government is smothering or oppressing them? And what can we do about it?
The first complaint that most people will level at our government is that taxes are too high! But think about that. If you had the choice to live in Somalia, and pay no taxes, would you jump at the chance? Of course not. Not when you could live in the United States, be safe, and have a nice career and family. So in that perspective, taxes are just like country club fees, and what you pay should reflect the services associated with those fees.
What we really want is a government that is efficient and effective, and that is committed to things that we really care about. That is exactly the kind of government I have outlined in my book, Quality Standards for Highly Effective Government. The book presents three auditable quality standards, which have been adopted and endorsed by the American Society for Quality, Government Division as International Best Practice Standards for Government. The standards are objective, measurable and most important auditable, and present the opportunity for the public to have a comprehensive scorecard on the efficiency, effectiveness and value of any government agency or office.
A summary of the standards was recently featured in the leaninsider blog, and the link is provided below. May I invite my associates to take a look, and let me know if you agree that this could be the way to restore our government, and make us appreciate it as much as the blue sky above us. https://leaninsider.blogspot.com/2018/04/can-quality-standards-improve.html
