The importance of taking inventory

Posted on April 13th, 2010 by admin

No one argues with the notion that every business must take a periodic inventory in order to determine what’s on hand (along with its value), what needs to be replaced and what should go. And most people will agree that a personal inventory on a regular basis is good for the soul. Why, then, doesn’t the government engage in the same disciplines?

Image via Wikipedia

There’s more to it than conducting a physical inventory. Counting what’s in warehouses, on the battlefield or in supply room is a common practice of the various government agencies. They must do in order to establish a budget for the next round of funding.

Doing a human resources inventory each year is the way staffing needs are determined in both the private and public sectors. For instance, the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) requires an additional 16,500 people at a cost of somewhere between 5 to 10 billion dollars in order to be sure that everyone has the proper insurance or pays fines under the new health care legislation.

What government ignores is the abstract side of taking inventory: the subjective evaluation of what’s going on and if things are moving in the proper direction. In business and in ones personal life, there must be a value placed on the activities one has been doing and whether or not this is beneficial in increasing the overall worth of the entity. This goes beyond accomplishing short and long-term financial goals. In business it’s known as goodwill. For an individual it’s called character.

The United States, while trying to build friends around the world, appears weaker because we don’t stand for courage, as we once did. Look at how we tip-toe around the Iranian nuclear issue as we draw a line in the sand, which is then crossed over. So we step back and draw a new line. Or what about our relationship with Israel that appears to be deteriorating? Have we become ashamed of what our forefathers gave us? Is America unwilling to encourage and support other democracies? If we are no longer proud of this country’s values, our goodwill shall continue to drop as fast as our national debt is rising.

Domestically, the politicians inside the beltway have isolated themselves from the majority of people. In an effort to redistribute the nation’s financial wealth, we are going broke over an ideology based on a fabricated lack of fairness that is funded through legislative equality. There is no moral justification to take away our incentives and smother our spirits by making us dependent on and even fearful of the government. Rather, to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, it is the government that must fear the people.

Free men are equal and must be treated fairly. Then, they can accomplish great feats with the gifts that come from their Creator. No government can do this. Our founders knew this. If our elected representatives would take an inventory, they might see what changes must be made. However, should they refuse to take a look at the harm they have caused and the burden placed on us as well as future generations, then it is our responsibility to take their inventory and ask ourselves, “Is their character worthy of re-election?”