The Rise of Fantasy Politics

In the heat of election politics, it's really good to read some common sense.

As citizens, we are forced to perform a kind of voodoo exercise in which we decide which candidate will figure it out when they get there. Unfortunately, the electorate has communicated to politicians that we don't want reality. The first candidate who says "it's going to cost you," is instantly marginalized. We just don???t want to face the music.

I would like to say that, at least, we operate from our self-interest, but that's not true either. To continue your sports analogy, we view candidates like we view our favorite team or Nascar driver, two examples of choices we make that have little to do with fulfilling any substantial self-interest, but which instead make us feel better for a little while when our guy beats the opponent???s guy.

In this election, I prefer Obama of the two candidates. I have read all the positions on both candidate???s websites, read the news like a junkyard dog looking for clues to success and that???s just where I land. I trust him more, think he will unite the country and think he has the organizational chops and intellect to sort through the myriad challenges facing the next president.

I do think the unfettered free market philosophy has failed. I think the reason for that is nothing more than human nature. And, I must admit, I just think it???s time to give the other party a chance to run the thing. I think Republicans have had their chance and things just haven???t worked out so well.

I would like to think there is an equitable system that can provide for a decent living for all Americans and to also reward the industrious, creative and lucky among us appropriately. But your comments resonate with me because I believe that to achieve such a system, you must start with a balanced budget and a pay-as-you-go fiscal philosophy.

If we lived in such a world, I think it would then be possible to build responsive institutions which work on behalf of all people. Universal health care, low-interest student loans, correctly regulated and above reproach financial markets, Social Security that actually pays enough to live on.

When you mention further clutter in an already complex tax system, you???ve also got a point. But more important are the unwieldy and overly complex number of levers available to government. It???s like a giant mobile gone awry. With a balanced budget at its core, the techniques available to those in office would be much simpler, and much more effective in addressing the needs of citizens.

It saddens me to see how distrustful we are of our current government that we even have trouble believing propositions of potential presidents. Samuelson???s article makes sense but only because of the current funk our country is in. If the current president???s approval rating was higher, the public would have a much easier time swallowing speeches that promise economic prosperity. For the record, I agree with Samuelson in that candidates use rhetoric to win applause and not to benefit the general welfare of our country, but its a sad state of affairs when we claim that candidates "talk the talk but don't walk the walk" before we even see any of them walking.

Robert Samuelson is correct: regardless of which party wins the White House or Congress, Uncle Sam is unlikely to get his fiscal affairs in order ("The Rise of Fantasy Politics," September 1).

In principle, government's core responsibility is to prevent Jones from benefiting by his imposing costs on Smith without Smith's consent. In practice, government acts as Jones's agent in securing benefits for Jones by imposing costs on Smith.

Government's modus operandi today is to bestow goodies on politically powerful interest groups, and to pay for these goodies by taxing politically unpopular groups (e.g., oil companies) and politically impotent groups (most notably, future taxpayers). The bottom line is that, through government, Jones imposes costs on Smith without Smith's consent.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
Enterprise Hall
George Mason University

Robert Samuelson is correct: regardless of which party wins the White House or Congress, Uncle Sam is unlikely to get his fiscal affairs in order ("The Rise of Fantasy Politics," September 1).

In principle, government's core responsibility is to prevent Jones from benefiting by his imposing costs on Smith without Smith's consent. In practice, government acts as Jones's agent in securing benefits for Jones by imposing costs on Smith.

Government's modus operandi today is to bestow goodies on politically powerful interest groups, and to pay for these goodies by taxing politically unpopular groups (e.g., oil companies) and politically impotent groups (most notably, future taxpayers). The bottom line is that, through government, Jones imposes costs on Smith without Smith's consent.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
Enterprise Hall
George Mason University

Samuelson's title of Fantasy politics should have included his fantasy of killing Amtrak. With an 80% return of investment (hgiher than any other government program), with ridership increased to equipment capacity taking millions out of their cars (and planes), Samuelson still has the fantasy that Amtrak is a waste of money. That attitude is to 20 minutes ago given our energy situation it is almost laughable. Pete Van Zante, Olympi, Wa.

to Realistic, In 1936, Hilter retook lands lost to the Versallies treaty and breaking the treaty agreements. The world did nothing. Then in 1939, Poland was invaded and spilt up with USSR. Wars start whens a bullies are not confonted diplomatically or with force. Care to sign up and join the 82nd Airborne?

It seems the John McCain wants to bring back the cold war and confront Russia over Georgia. Obama is more inclined to use diplomacy, or recognize that we are not about to push Russia around in it's own backyard. I mention this because I wonder what the huge increase in our defense budget that a new cold war requires would do to our debt problems. by 'Realistic"

MEMORIES FOR DENVER?????????..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEu8zkLLzxM

THE BRIGHT MEMORIES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCVZlLBchVE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1q9Q0OtJ4g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxRvExqN7_E&NR=1

You are so right. The worst is Obama who is promising the dummies "the World". These people are so stupid. Bothe side are controlled by special interests. McCain by big business, and Obama by the communist leftist enemies of America. It is up to us that are smart enough not to have our mind poison by the emtional game that is going on during these convention and choose what is best for America by the choosing the lesser of these two evils (Jonh McCain)..

Extremists on both parties have been responsible for our failing economy and have compounded our debt.

Under Carter, the neoliberal Democrats opened up unrestricted trade with Red China, and was supported by the far right Republicans For Big Business.

As one of the last acts for the 96th Congress under Carter, the neoliberals and Big Business Republicans again joined forces to write the WIndfall Profits Tax of 1981. They phased out the coveted small business tax credit of Investment Tax Credit and did a major overhaul of revising the 1040 whereby average wage earners no longer could take any deductions unless they had a mortgage. This resulted in the largest actual tax increase for the middle class and started the demise of the working class. Mom & Pop's either closed their doors or were bought out by the Big Business. Manufacturing dramatically decreased because small businesses now had to chose between paying income tax or upgrading equipment. (And Uncle Sam is a nasty creditor.) Now, remember, this was done with a "globalization" Democratic President and Democratic party leaders for "globalization" and Republican Big Business leaders. Manufacturing plants started to move to other cheaper labor countries. Welfare was stepped up to appease the masses who directly and indirectly lost their jobs to the outflow of manufacturing plants.

Under Reagan, and a Democratic Congress controlled by the "globalization" and special interest leaders, the extremists of both parties joined forces again to stop funding for research and technology for alternative energy and renewable energy. Oil Companies and Big Business owned the Republican leaders. And, "Globalization" and Radical Environmentalists owned the Democratic leaders. Manufacturing companies were given "incentives" for relocating their plants outside the US under the World Wide Income tax loopholes. Welfare and welfare abuse was greatly increased to appease the additional masses of newly-unemployed.

Under Clinton and the neoliberal (globalization) and extremist environmentalist Democratic Congress leaders again joined forces with the Big Business Republicans, and wrote the disastrous NAFTA. Those leaders who supported and voted for NAFTA are the exact same leaders in Congress today (with the exception of Senator Byrd who is still against NAFTA). Pelosi, Hoyer, Kennedy, Durbin, Kerry, Biden, Baucus, Dodd, Harkin, Leahy, Murray, Cantwell supported and STILL support the elimination of manufacturing within the US. The same is for the Republican leaders - but they are PUBLICLY state their support.

This country's economy and our growing debt is not just a result of the Bush Administration's tax cut and the Iraqi Invasion. It has been growing for decades. Until there is a new third party of moderates, or until the extremists in both parties are voted out, the working class of USA will continue to be the majority poor class.

DO NOT BE FOOLED BY TH

"But the country as a whole may lose."

Well, what constitutes "losing" for the country is complicated. If the Welfare State isn't destoyed pretty soon, it will destroy every last shred of decency and sanity left in this Country.

Therefore, I was well pleased to see the budget plans of both Obama and McCain will lead to even larger budget shortfalls than those we've enjoyed under Bush.

Get out of the bathtub, Grover, and for god's sake put some clothes on! We're going to have some fun...

How do I get a copy of the documentary to watch? Can I see it on my computer?

POLL POSITION: Barack Obama and John McCain are neck and neck in the FORMULA 2008 RACE, sounds like there could be some DUSTS AHEAD, test those wiper blades, make sure they're working.

You're right both are playing a game, just like politicians always do to get elected. The question we have to answer is: once you get past the phony rhetoric of both candidates which one of the candidates will be most successful working in a non-partisan manner to solve problems instead of continuing the politics of polarization?

Samuelson is a dishonest hack. If he believed all this, he would have opposed the Bush tax cuts. He did not. If he believed all this, he would clearly favor Obama's health care plan, which controls costs by forcing private health plans to compete with the more efficient public plans, or he should favor single-payor health plans with strong cost controls. He doesn't poiunt out how our defense spending is completely out of control, and how that impacts this discussion. Finally, he is being somewhat honest about raising social security eligibility age, but he doesn't point out that raising the reirement age isn't the only way - Obama's plan to raise the Social Security contirbution from the wealthy would also solve the problem, with much less pain for all involved.

In short, Samuelson is a Republican, pretending to be nonpartisan.

What will the VILLAGE IDIOTS who plan to vote for the Naval Aviator Hero in order to spite Obama tell their children and grandchildren? But then perhaps they are enuchs.