Low taxes can mean low profits

The Boeing 737 Dreamliner has been grounded by the FAA until several of the recent problems can be fixed.

First question: if private business can do so much right, why is there so much wrong with the 737?
At least, nobody's been seriously injured or killed yet.

The answer is that it is a complex endeavor.  Thousands must work together to get everything just right.  What was missed because certain tests or calculations weren't checked one more time?  One commentator wrote that the FAA inspectors were overwhelmed by the innovations.

This last gets me to taxes and profits.

To have skilled up-to-date inspectors, we need to train them continuously.  If we don't budget for continuous training, the inspectors won't be able to keep up with changes.  If the inspectors can't keep up with changes, then the inspected companies might miss something.  If the inspected companies miss something, then the new products might fail in some way that reduces those companies' profits.  Sort of "for want of a nail…"

Also think of government inspectors as independent auditors.  They are a second set of eyes that sees things that the people directly involved might miss.  Large companies don't blink at paying millions for audits but they seem to balk at paying taxes for government "auditors"; auditors that might save them millions.

But to have skilled designers and skilled inspectors, we have to have a robust education system, going all the way back to pre-school.  If we don't pay enough taxes to have such a robust education system that produces a very large number of skilled adults, then we can't create the innovations that lead to larger profits.

All things are connected - "Home", movie script by Ted Perry.  See "All Things Are Connected".

The Iranian people fight on; their leaders can only follow

You can find an interesting update of the opposition to the official election results at
"Iran's Protesters: Phase 2 of Their Feisty Campaign", Robin Wright, Time, 2009-07-27.

People who normally wouldn't demonstrate in the streets are finding some subtle ways to express their dissatisfaction. Both private and government companies are losing money as a result.