“As a capitalist, this goes against the basic principle that you want to maximize your customer base.
With all due respect, the government should have no “customer base.” THAT is our problem. We are thinking that we need to compete in crony capitalism or out-pander the other side. We lost, in my opinion, because we didn’t go to the polls and we did not distinguish ourselves from the other side. Small government, less spending is proabably a winner...but the idea is, as you demonstrate, foreign even to some of us. Clint had it right. The government is just a bunch of employees. Some need to be laid off; some fired.