In an earlier blog I made the point that people do not go into business for the purpose of dealing with politics and refining their political skills.

The Left has the preposterous notion that it is business that corrupts politics. The exact opposite is true. Politics has so much control over businesses that businesses have no alternative but to learn the ways of politicians.

I am beginning to think now about how very different the commercial moral system is from the political moral system.

This is my first rough sketch.

I know the values of commerce are: meritocracy, openness (which implicitly includes honesty),  love of the market place and a love of technology. Most importantly business, because of its meritocratic fundamental attribute, also respects diversity in every dimension including opinion, ethnicity and temperament. Commerce knows that it is a force for change and disruption in a society. For most of commerce, the industrial component, the main goal is to reduce costs and attract customers. Life is a grandiose opportunity.

I struggle to make a comparable paragraph about the values of the political moral system. I will try.

Political moral values in somewhat the same order of the commercial values in the paragraph above: Loyalty to family members. Giving a priority to finding compromise for conflicting power sources. Honesty among peers is important but not for politicians in dealing with the public. Hyperbole is accepted. Secrecy is necessary for most political negotiation. Maintaining the status quo is paramount. Today's friends can be tomorrow's enemies and vice versa. The world is about manipulation of everyone and everything. Everyone owns a part of you (blackmail) and you must own part of everyone else of interest to your future. Life is a game of calculation and cunning.

I have only begun this project and welcome everyone's contributions to explore the differences between commercial morals and political morals.