Source: Free Market News Network
Author: Thomas L. Knapp

08/26/05

When it comes to policy decisions in a representative democracy, the job of politicians -- at least in theory -- is to weigh costs and benefits and then act to minimize the former and maximize the latter. Of course, politicians do tend to evaluate the risks and benefits according to criteria other than the strictly representative. Which do you think carries more weight: How a policy might cost or benefit you, or how a policy might cost or benefit the politician? We can safely assume that the latter concern does play in the politician's decisions -- for even if he's a really, really good guy who really, really cares about you, he's also a really, really good guy who really, really cares about his other constituents, and who really, really cares about getting re-elected...

Link: http://www.freemarketnews.com/pview/5837/2428/html/index.php