Having written more than 5000 columns over the past ten-plus years, I’ve learned that policy analysis doesn’t “go viral.”
But I got a small taste of what that would be like when I shared an image in 2016 showing that the right kind of class warfare pits productive people (earners, entrepreneurs, and protectors) against looters (predators, cronies, and rent-seekers).
In other words, rich vs poor is the wrong way to divide society.
Today, I have another image that also has a very powerful message. I don’t know if it will go viral, but it has a very appropriate and accurate message.
For instance, America is now dealing with a lot of controversy regarding occasional police misbehavior and sometimes-violent protests, but it’s hopefully accurate to say that most cops and most protestors are good people
And the same is true for clergy and doctors, even though both groups have a few bad apples.
But notice the group at the bottom.
In part, this image is designed for humorous purposes (and it’s always fun to mock politicians).
But there’s also a serious point. Why are there so many bad and corrupt people in government? There are two possible explanations.
- Shallow, insecure, and power-hungry people are drawn to politics because they want to control the lives of others.
- Good people run for political office, but then slowly but surely get corrupted because of “public choice” incentives.
Needless to say, it’s possible for both answers to be partially accurate.
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[…] in July, I asked “Why are there so many bad and corrupt people in government?” and suggested two […]
Term limits will cure a lot of the ills in gov’t! Jailing those who abuse their power for personal gain and strip them of everything they own would help….but the real key is to have an honest press with true investigative reporters, not those agenda-driven boot-licking commie watch dogs that comprise 90% of today’s media. If all-out war breaks out in America they ought to be the prime targets for our anger!
Reblogged this on Boudica BPI Weblog.
This is why voting Libertarian packs so much law-changing clout. Our candidates aren’t keen on getting a hand in the till, but do enjoy helping people go on the record as opposed to the Kleptocracy. The thought of an honest candidate getting elected and becoming a dissenter in their “social pressure for looting”–a single dissenter greatly weakens the hypnotic effect of a collusive “consensus”–is worse than Anthem. It is Anathema!
Reblogged this on Gds44's Blog.
Good point and good joke. You missed a category. Parasites? People of little worth who want to leach off other people, they will gravitate to jobs which have no particular qualification, such as police and politics where the rewards are greater than they could get anywhere else.
Hey Dan,
We’ve grown The Capitalist League group at Facebook up to 102,000 followers. And, as I often do with your stuff, we just linkblurbed this one there.
You surely understand that you don’t format your work so as to facilitate virality. (Not a matter of your content, which is terrific. Just, not formatted for virality.)
Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
Ralph
On Mon, Jul 6, 2020 at 12:25 PM International Liberty wrote:
> Dan Mitchell posted: “Having written more than 5000 columns over the past > ten-plus years, I’ve learned that policy analysis doesn’t “go viral.” But I > got a small taste of what that would be like when I shared an image in 2016 > showing that the right kind of class warfare pit” >
Any idea why your comment was duplicated? I’m not a fan of the WordPress comments system. I can’t star your comment in my browser.
I use Willy all the time. Uhh, maybe I should rephrase that.
I’m thinking a man with his hand in the pocket of a woman he doesn’t know would be more accurate.
Dan, there is a third explanation as to why there are so many corrupt politicians. As Willy Sutton answered to the question, “Why do you rob banks? Because that’s where the money is “. How else to explain why a politician will spend millions to earn a modest salary, and when they leave office they and family members will be multi-millionaires.
Dan, there is a third explanation as to why there are so many corrupt politicians. As Willy Sutton answered to the question, “Why do you rob banks? Because that’s where the money is “. How else to explain why a politician will spend millions to earn a modest salary, and when they leave office they and family members will be multi-millionaires.
How about “bad lawyers” and “good lawyers”? All groups of people have “good” and “bad” but there are more in groups where “bad” behavior is rewarded and less when “bad” behavior works against the person.
Other reasons individuals go into politics: 1) they do not have to live by the rules they create and 2) rarely are they held accountable for the decisions they make.