No one in government, that I have heard, has even suggested any sort of regulation holiday as a potential economic stimulus program. In fact, most of the legislative moves at the national level have made private investment less attractive

Seriously – if the economy is on the brink of disaster and we have unprecedented employment problems, is that not a reason to lighten the choke hold? Of course it would make sense – but politically this is a non-starter, perhaps a worse idea than ending Medicare (which is a good idea in the real world). Why? Because if this were proposed, it would be an admission that regulations and meddling are harmful for economic growth and prosperity. However, the state religionist view is that these regulations make us more competitive and are part of a more “just” 21st century economy that will do things a different way. So, we will not get serious about any stimulus that involves a shrinking of the grabbing hand.

A new report from the Federal Transit Administration says that America’s transit agencies need $77.7 billion to bring their systems up to a state of good repair. This report is an update to a previous report that just looked at seven of the nation’s leading transit systems (Boston, Chicago, New Jersey Transit, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco BART, and Washington Metro).

I thought we were changing the way we did business in Washington?

These sound silly. It would sound sillier in other applications as well. For example, should we consult the victim of an arson on how best to put out fires? Or should we consult someone who cut their fingers with a knife on how sharp knives should be allowed to be?

How come when we do similar things in the economic realm they are not viewed nearly as laughable as some of the above? Nothing makes me wretch more than watching politicians give a stump speech, where they invoke the trials and tribulations of some hard-working, nice, sweet-as-apple pie couple as a reason for overhauling the health system, or for extending unemployment insurance benefits. It is especially wretching to hear politicians argue that, “I’ve spoken to hundreds of people like Mary and Tom Smith” as if speaking to people who have had a tough time in the labor market makes either them or the politician an expert on labor market policy.

In fact, you might think that consulting those people who have been particularly affected by some economic change might be precisely the people you would not want to consult or invoke when proposing and promoting new economic policies. It is sort of like asking a newly dumped teenager what they think should be done about dating “policy.”

Nevertheless, I am preparing myself for the upcoming election season with a large bottle of Pepto Bismol. Maybe the pharma companies should consult me on how to formulate a new anti-puke medicine after the November elections are over?

Without any public vetting, Dr. Berwick will now assume control of a bureaucracy with a budget larger than the Defense Department and that controls 4% of GDP today, hitting 5.9% by 2020 if the Congressional Budget Office is right.

Off the top of my head, I think there are other people who were neither elected nor vetted that have as much or even larger influence – if not in direct budget measures, than in terms of regulatory authority. Is the FDA head confirmed in the Senate?

A democracy … can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse out of the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that Democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a dictatorship.

I am one of the out-voted taxpayers. I don’t pay my taxes, I go to jail. No questions asked. It doesn’t matter how much I disapprove of the use of tax dollars. It doesn’t matter that the elite political class votes itself elaborate benefits at my expense. it doesn’t matter that the entrenched corporate and agricultural and manufacturing and union class interests vote themselves special privileges unavailable to the rest of us. And it certainly does not seem to matter that we are running at the state and federal levels a degree of spending that is completely unsustainable. This cannot happen in a marketplace. I may wish to charge each of my students $1,000 per class. But I am limited by competition and choice to not be able to support such desires.

This should, of course, give myth to the notion that democracy and majority rule are means in and of themselves to be desired. They are not. Majorities often cannot rule. And even if they did, the very concept of innovation, change and dynamism stands in opposition to the existence of a “majority.” No doubt that collective action is necessary in some areas of our lives – but also no doubt that we have extended its reach beyond anything reasonable people could tolerate. Were it not for our magnificent wealth today, the Revolution would have started long ago.

In fact, one of the proper roles of government, in my view, is to promote in a society a flexibility and an insensitivity to technological and societal changes. Yes, there might be some losers in the short term when institutions evolve, but in the long run, “we” all win from it. How the government can do this is quite another story – I think Plato would have had more confidence than I do on that one.

Voting does not permit any of us to oppose the very idea of political control. And simply refusing to go to the voting booth is not the same as choosing to not be controlled. I’d like to see an argument in a group rape case use the same logic. “Well, she had the option of not voting for either of the two men from raping her.” Is that analogy too tasteless? Well, what if I didn’t vote in my school budget election, would that prevent the authorities from confiscating my property every year? Or to make the analogy a little better – you might say that not voting in my school budget election (I did, and was soundly defeated by the wealthier statists) at least my disapproval was recognized. Well, tell that to the rape victim. “Sorry maam you were raped, but at least it is on record that you were not a big fan of that happening.”