Govt Bureaucracy vs Private Sector

I recently lost my job.

So now I am applying for Unemployment Insurance, and have been thinking, as I always am, about politics.

A million questions to verify who you are, what your current job situation is, make sure you are looking for new work, how and if you qualify and the terms in which you can lose your benefits.  First call this number, then that number, lots of steps for verification and compliance.  And you have to call every week to ask for the past week's benefits, and keep documents showing that you have been looking for work.

Unemployment insurance is something everyone who works pays into, and it is for those who have lost their jobs, not for those who quit or don't look actively for work.  Steps are taken to prevent waste fraud and abuse, and the maximum benefit you are allowed isnt even that much to live on.  But yes it's always better than nothing.


The GOP always complains that government bureaucracy is too burdensome and that any cure for any ailment whether its the economy or any other aspect of society is always to deregulate and cut taxes.  But in always attacking the long procedures of navigating through government processes, they of course fail to mention that the private sector has the same procedures, plus a profit motive as the bottom line, which does nothing to make the experience of dealing with it any easier, and it costs more and is as equal or more prone to corruption, waste, fraud, abuse etc.

Think of the Obamacare website, which is a marketplace for private insurance companies.  The website itself has problems because of government procurement procedures, technical glitches and policy changes right before the launch---initially the website would let you browse plans and then register later, but then the Administration said that people must sign up first, and then look around.

The change in policy caused glitches that lasted 2 months.

Now think of airline travel, hotels, credit cards, store return policies, insurance companies, etc etc.

Does anyone have pleasant experiences dealing with these private companies when something goes wrong?? Lost bags, canceled services, wrong transactions show up and you have to clear them, long lists of procedures to go through before a transaction can be done, and lists of reasons why they can't help you. And of course refunds always take several weeks, but new charges show up immediately.

Private sector companies are no better than the Government when it comes to laws that don't make sense, long lists of bureaucratic red tape to cut and steps to take before you get anything done.  GOP just likes corporate America.