Political Philosophy Quote of the Day

From Russell Roberts at Cafe Hayek:

There are two ways to reduce the connection between politicians and money. One is to reduce the role of money. The other is to reduce the role of politicians. I choose the latter. I contend that reducing the role of money of politics in order to make politics more honest is like trying to make airplanes safer by reducing the role of gravity. Let's get money out of politics by making politicians less powerful.

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There is just one problem: the connection of politicians and money isn't the real issue any more than you can claim that the connection of gas and and cars causes accidents.

In a relatively free capitalist society, as opposed to a pure dictatorship where you can get it all done by issuing an order, you have to pay for work to get done. Even the necessary work that a government does, or at least should do. Money is just the fuel that is used to get things done.

As with the car, where it isn't the gas causing the problems, it isn't the money causing the problems with politicians. In both cases it is a matter of control.

The car goes off the road or runs into other cars because it isn't under control. A politician runs into problems because he/she isn't under control.

The problem is that politicians too often are not under the detailed control and observation of the citizenry. This is a result of insider and backroom deals and the ability of politicians to either prevent the information from getting out to distort the message if it does. In both case it often has to do with a press corp that has become a lap dog. The average citizen has neither the time nor the inclination to maintain the necessary level of surveillance over their elected officials and the politicians. They have work and sleep and raising a family to fill their day. Also, politicians, knowing they benefit from dark corners and inside deals, don't make it any easier.

What is needed is a pool of dedicated investigators who specialize in following the issues, trends, activities and sins of just one or two politicians and follow and report on their every move 24/7/365.

The press has been co-opted, bought off and tamed. That is the problem.

Power exists, in the necessity for people to make decisions in their lives and the effect of others on those decisions. If politicians have less power, that power will be excercised without accountability. Your 'philosopher' sounds like a stalking horse for fascism.

What we need is more accountability: Corporations by the people, for the people.