Where are Those Heroes in Government?

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #67 

                Milton Friedman once posed the question that if people believe that government will come forward and bring prosperity for all, why have we not yet seen those heroes in government produce those wonderful results?  The answer basically is seen in the words of Thomas Sowell, who said “It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.”  Of course, this simply emphasizes the fact that there is an enormous difference between a government of good stated intentions, and a government that actually produces positive results. 

                Obviously, if someone in the business world makes a stupid decision there is a price to be paid. But it is a commonly understood maxim in politics that reality is irrelevant – the only thing that matters is the voters’ perception of reality.  Consequently, and as one of my best friends puts it, to get a good decision we should impose the costs of a bad decision upon the decision-maker.   This can be done most effectively by having more decisions made under the rigors of the Liberty and responsibility of the marketplace, which would have fewer decisions made by those in government.  Examples of this are seen in the areas of education, healthcare and even the leasing of grazing lands.  In all of these areas the government and its bureaucrats promise good results, but pay no price for bad decisions.  Only We the People can change this.