Re: Bryan Caplan and politicians as employees (since I just read his book):
A secondary point in The Myth of the Rational Voter is that politicians enter office with two potentially mutually exclusive commands: “Enact the policies I want,” and, “Achieve the policy outcomes I want.” Muck around with the economy without mucking it up. So say Americans want lower gas taxes, lower gas prices, no rationing or queuing at gas stations, lower oil company profits, reduced fossil fuel consumption, less carbon dioxide emission, well-maintained roads, no construction delays, larger SUVs, safer cars, ethanol subsidies, and low food prices. I think most of those would get majority support as desirable things. We have a mix of policies and outcomes demanded, several of which are mutually exclusive, and good luck figuring out which ones will get you voted out of office.
This might be unnecessary detail for this discussion, since I presume that policy is more important to re-election considerations. “Doing something” is visible; problems down the chain of cause and effect can be blamed on others. So the theory of our republic is that we elect legislators who can make those good decisions for the long-term health of the country, but the practice is often one of kicking out legislators who try to do so.
Re: Bryan Caplan and politicians as employees (since I just read his book):
A secondary point in The Myth of the Rational Voter is that politicians enter office with two potentially mutually exclusive commands: “Enact the policies I want,” and, “Achieve the policy outcomes I want.” Muck around with the economy without mucking it up. So say Americans want lower gas taxes, lower gas prices, no rationing or queuing at gas stations, lower oil company profits, reduced fossil fuel consumption, less carbon dioxide emission, well-maintained roads, no construction delays, larger SUVs, safer cars, ethanol subsidies, and low food prices. I think most of those would get majority support as desirable things. We have a mix of policies and outcomes demanded, several of which are mutually exclusive, and good luck figuring out which ones will get you voted out of office.
This might be unnecessary detail for this discussion, since I presume that policy is more important to re-election considerations. “Doing something” is visible; problems down the chain of cause and effect can be blamed on others. So the theory of our republic is that we elect legislators who can make those good decisions for the long-term health of the country, but the practice is often one of kicking out legislators who try to do so.