« Krugman on Cheap Labor | Main | A kind of correction at the Times» Russell Roberts
August 12, 2004
Not So Innocent
Don Boudreaux
Suppose the country’s government were run by children between the ages of four and eight. Further suppose that this situation is unalterable; protesting against it – advocating that adults be put in charge – is futile.
In this world, all political discussions would be directed at, and by, young kids. All elections would be for the purpose of choosing which particular children will exercise government power for the next few years.
…..
This little thought experiment conveys my sense of politics. I don’t insist that my sense is correct, but it is truly my sense.
Because this is my sense, I don’t vote. Choosing which children will wield political power strikes me as both pointless and comical. True, some children are better than others, but most are brats if they’re insufficiently constrained by adult discipline.
Why is this my sense? Simple: a child is someone who is insufficiently mature to understand and deal with the fact that our world is inevitably one of scarcity and tradeoffs. Children revolt against constraints (while good parenting involves teaching children that constraints are unavoidable).
Imagine a set of parents who tell their child “Junior, no matter what you do, we’ll do all that we can to relieve you of the unpleasant consequences. Also, whatever you want, don’t worry, we’ll buy it for you.” Spending other people’s money willy-nilly, and being able to shift blame for your actions onto others encourages childish behavior.
Politicians spend other people’s money. And because the consequences of whatever political choices he or she makes are typically spread out in complex fashion among thousands or millions of people – and because the world is a far more knotty place than many people seem to realize – politicians can easily take credit for whatever pleasant events unfold and point accusing fingers at others for whatever unpleasant events come to pass.
This essay of mine expands this idea.
Posted by Don Boudreaux in Politics | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d834518ccc69e200d83421839753ef
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Not So Innocent:
» Friday's Daily News from The Club for Growth Blog
Relevant News and Commentary Bush Seen Taking Incremental Tax-Reform Approach - Reuters Not So Innocent - D. Boudreaux, Cafe Hayek Talking Down the Economy - J. Glassman, TCS California Suffers Perpetual Energy Crisis - D. Bandow, Human Events The 3rd... [Read More]
Tracked on Aug 13, 2004 10:24:02 AM
» Rock Financial Providing One Lucky Winner a $10,000 Ultimate Backyard Giveaway from Trackback
http://www.prweb.com/dingpr.php/TG92ZS1aZXRhLVpldGEtVGhpci1IYWxmLVplcm8=
[Read More]
Tracked on Mar 25, 2006 9:08:48 AM
» Full Albums Archive from MP3 Album Finder
Enter Artist or Song or Album name to search: ... Download VA - –усска€ коллекци€ 4 «олотой шл€гер 70 х (1973 1979) mp3 ... [Read More]
Tracked on Apr 5, 2006 7:59:55 PM
» MP3 Downloads, Full Albums, Latest Hits, MP3 Search from Global Media Search Engine
Big Mp3 Archive, Mp3 Search, Mp3 Albums, Mp3 Songs, Mp3 Software, Mp3 Traffic Exchange, Advertising... [Read More]
Tracked on Apr 5, 2006 8:21:56 PM
» Links Catalog Search Results For: celexa from Public Library - Health - Drugs & Medicines
Search the Web:. OneBigVillage Home! Search the Web! Check Your Village Mail! Chat Now! ... Over the Counter (0). Prescription Drugs (0) Painkillers ... [Read More]
Tracked on Apr 8, 2006 12:12:11 AM
» Auto Search: 1935 chevrolet truck9 from Online Auto Guise
Search and Compare Certified Pre-Owned Cars. Car Shopping Tools and Advice · 2006 Auto Shows · New York Auto Show Check out 2007 models and cool concepts ... [Read More]
Tracked on Apr 28, 2006 1:17:59 AM
» Finance Search Online: farmers insurance agents houston texas from Business Finance Online
Business Finance Online Product/Service Directory. Search for business finance related products and services by browsing the directory of business finance ... [Read More]
Tracked on Apr 28, 2006 6:10:17 PM
» Library of Congress WWW/Z39.50 Gateway from Harvard Seismology: Centroid Moment Tensor Catalog
Contents: Search Library of Congress Catalog | Search Other Catalogs | About the Z39.50 ... Library of Congress Online Catalog. Simple Search (any keyword) ... [Read More]
Tracked on Apr 30, 2006 8:09:01 AM
» SmartPhone Today: HTC Hurricane from Smartphone Reviews; Best SmartPhones
The Internet's 3rd Party information center for SmartPhone Shareware, SmartPhone Freeware, Reviews, Hardware, Discussion, and more! Updated Daily... [Read More]
Tracked on Apr 30, 2006 7:18:35 PM
» Private Labels Still Cheaper from as those with
private labels. (PRWEB Jun 1, 2006)
[Read More]
Tracked on Jun 6, 2006 7:57:16 AM
» Internal Audit: Resources for Internal Auditors from Audit Company
Internal Audit - is the Web portal and online community for the internal audit profession provides free audit work programs, ICQ's, checklists, ...
[Read More]
Tracked on Jun 7, 2006 8:12:20 AM
» Most With Eye Fungus Used Bausch Lomb from of Contact-Lens
Two-Thirds of Contact-Lens Wearers With Eye Fungus Say They Used Bausch & Lomb, CDC Says [Read More]
Tracked on Jun 8, 2006 12:57:31 PM
» Bush urges immigrants to learn English, history from "helping us remain
civics with the goal of "helping us remain one nation under God." On the second day of a campaign-style trip to [Read More]
Tracked on Jun 15, 2006 5:04:28 AM
