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March 01, 2008
What's the Buzz?
Don Boudreaux
Reflecting on the misinformation, half-truths, and weasel-words that form the bulk of political-campaign speecifying, I conclude that listening to politicians'
campaign speeches yields about as much information as listening to insects
buzzing: in both cases you're made aware that annoying, and possibly
dangerous, pests are nearby.
Posted by Don Boudreaux in Politics | Permalink
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Comments
It's all about style.
Posted by: Sam Grove | Mar 1, 2008 2:55:43 PM
What's new. Politicians have spewing the same crap since Cicero's time.
Posted by: FreedomLover | Mar 1, 2008 3:11:05 PM
But Don,
Politicians are just organisms. They thrive or wither according to their environment. And these are the ones you get in the freest country in the world. Your recent criticisms of politicians are in fact criticisms of voters. And liberty is in danger when people start wringing their hands and saying "why can't everyone just be like me?"
Posted by: Chris Poole | Mar 1, 2008 3:55:33 PM
Criticism of politicians is not necessarily criticism of voters so much as criticism of elective democracy where the government has essentially unlimited power over the purse, as exists here. That power creates huge demand from political entrepreneurs, the rent-seekers who fund them, and the deep pockets they can extort.
None of those facts bother me about our system. It is what it is, and the system will evolve at its own pace. What bothers me is how this system is portrayed in our schools and the media.
When political entrepreneurs and agents of government behave in a manner that might be interpreted as greedy (or lust for power), they are generally viewed against an idealistic standard of "the public good." Real world rent-seeking and extortion (e.g., 'soliciting' contributions from major donors) are largely treated as incidental features of government that need to be minimized.
On the other hand, private parties acting in accordance with their incentives in a free market (such as it is) are often lambasted by the media for their "greed." Self-interest, properly seen as a central feature of markets, are viewed as something that needs to be controlled by government agents, which are seen as non-self interested, unless they're bad apples.
There is little that can be done about market and governmental institutions. There is plenty that can be done in how these institutions are described and understood. I take my hat off to Don and Russ for their part in increasing that understanding.
Posted by: M. Hodak | Mar 1, 2008 6:13:11 PM
I would say Cafe Hayek is one of the best antidotes to how these things are depicted. I'm writing from Australia where the media is not perhaps as hagiographic as in the US. (We hardly care who governs - they're all crooks. But they've solved that problem by making voting compulsory).
But then the media is just another sort of pond life, and everything they do is defined and limited by literacy levels, libel laws and detergent sales. They have no other mission than to please their advertisers, without getting sued, by leading people to believe they are informed.
It's what percentage of households have television, not what gets presented on television, that keeps the king from having his head cut off. And truth and logic don't have lawyers so you can offend them all you like.
Posted by: Chris Poole | Mar 1, 2008 8:55:56 PM
I'm from India and have been living in the USA (legally, I might add) for the past 5 years.
The big difference I see in America vs India reg. the outlook towards politics is the positive outlook/naivite that even smart educated people have toward the politicians and the political system.
In India, most educated people see through the rhetoric and rightly stay away from politics. The ones that do vote only do so to "Keep the other guy out".
Only the poor and uneducated generally believe what the politicians say/promise.
Here, I'm amazed at how otherwise sceptical and smart people drink the cool-aid.
Personally, I've never voted and don't intend to do so.
Posted by: raja_r | Mar 1, 2008 10:06:43 PM
Raja, I've never been to the US, but that's the impression I get too, I didn't want to be too blunt, but America rich in so many things is poor in cynicism (Don, mate, you are an exception).
My complete data set for understanding Indian elections is the novel "A fine balance" but it sounds accurate!
Posted by: Chris Poole | Mar 2, 2008 2:53:16 AM
A couple of great concepts above;
"political entrepreneurs" M. Hodak
"poor in cynicism" Chris Poole
The "buzzing" thing isn't bad either...
Posted by: Randy | Mar 2, 2008 3:14:48 AM
Just thought of the question I want to see asked at the next debate;
Senator ________, You seem to be a very intelligent person. I think it is safe to assume then that you are fully aware that 90% of the things you say are either half truths or outright lies. So my question is, how do you sleep at night?
Posted by: Randy | Mar 2, 2008 10:56:00 AM
Raja R. and Chris Poole,
The reason you think that America suffers from a lack of cynicism is because you don't yet know America.
The media is not going to give you real useful data and many many of us know that.
We cynics do not control the media, and even though the media masters are also cynics it is not to their benefit or profit to broadcast it or teach cynicism 101 to the masses.
Raja r., if you have been here for 5 years and don't know us better than that then I have to say you are hanging out in the wrong groups.
However, let me close by saying this. Thank God we cynics are not the majority, because the one thing that separates the USA from the rest of the world is the simple fact that we do carry hope for a better day in our minds and hearts and we also see evidence that yes an individual in the USA can make it if they truly want to.
Bill Gates had his own humble beginnings, Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell did as well, Henry Ford, the list is endless. On the other hand Teddy Kennedy began big and managed to become little, so you see in America all things are possible.
LOL, trying to label Americans is like trying to stamp bar codes on grains of sand. Good luck.
Posted by: vidyohs | Mar 2, 2008 3:37:53 PM
BTW Chris Poole
I just looked up-thread and saw this post:
"But Don,
Politicians are just organisms. They thrive or wither according to their environment. And these are the ones you get in the freest country in the world. Your recent criticisms of politicians are in fact criticisms of voters. And liberty is in danger when people start wringing their hands and saying "why can't everyone just be like me?"
Posted by: Chris Poole | Mar 1, 2008 3:55:33 PM"
You nailed it my friend.
Posted by: vidyohs | Mar 2, 2008 7:51:11 PM
Everybody wants to rule the world.
Posted by: FreedomLover | Mar 2, 2008 8:47:17 PM
I disagree with the line about criticizing voters. Don criticizing politicians is a way of educating other voters on some subject matter that he thinks is relevant, and maybe other voters were unaware of its importance.
I think it's like a movie. Beforehand, everyone chooses why they want to see a particular film - subject matter, actress, etc. We have these movie critics that say good or bad things about the film, occasionally saying that it was poorly acted, too violent, etc. These critics are not criticizing moviegoers who still see the picture, but they are saying things that you may not have been able to figure out from the 30 second commercial. Some people pay very close attention to movie critics and other couldn't care less.
If you already have the info, and you still go to the film, and you get disappointed, you would be considered a fool if you saw the same movie again.
Posted by: Python | Mar 2, 2008 9:21:48 PM
23 WAYS TO BE A GOOD DEMOCRAT - THIS ISN'T SO HARD -- EVEN A CAVE
MAN CAN DO IT....
1. You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion
on demand.
2. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and
governments create prosperity.
3. You have to believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding
Americans are more of a threat than nuclear weapons technology in the
hands of Chinese and North Korean communists.
4. You have to believe that there was no art before Federal
funding.
5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected
by documented cyclical changes in the earth's climate and more affected
by Soccer moms driving SUV's.
6. You have to believe that gender roles are artificial but being
homosexual is natural.
7. You have to believe that the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of
Federal funding.
8. You have to believe that the teacher who can't teach fourth
graders how to read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about
sex.
9. You have to believe that hunters don't care about nature, but
loony activists who have never been outside of San Francisco do.
10. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than
actually doing something to earn it.
11. You have to believe that Mel Gibson spent $25 million of his
own money to make "The Passion of the Christ" for financial gain only.
12. You have to believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain
parts of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good because it supports
certain parts of the Constitution.
13. You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are
too high.
14. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are
more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison
and Alexander Graham Bell.
15. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but
racial quotas and affirmative action are not.
16. You have to believe that Hillary Clinton is normal and is a
very nice person.
17. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn't
worked anywhere it's been tried is because the right people haven't been
in charge.
18. You have to believe conservatives telling the truth belong in
jail, but a liar and a sex offender belonged in the White House.
19. You have to believe that homosexual parades displaying drag
queens, transvestites and bestiality should be constitutionally
protected, but that manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.
20. You have to believe that illegal Democrat Party funding by the
Chinese Government is somehow in the best interest to the United States.
21. You have to believe that what is offered for sale is best decided by central
planning and regulation than decided by customer preferences.
22. You have to believe that this message is a part of a vast,
right wing conspiracy.
23 . You have to believe that it's okay to give Federal workers the
day off on Christmas Day ..........but it's not okay to say "Merry
Christmas."
Ready to vote???
Posted by: vidyohs | Mar 17, 2008 10:45:55 AM
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