Off to an Engineering Conference of the offsite/professional-networking variety, at which Salesmen will entice me and my peers in the hopes we might buy stuff and Certified Professional Engineers will lecture, hoping against hope we might learn stuff. There's some overlap between the two. Which means minimal blog for you this morning, sorry!
Here's a thought: you'd think if "that government which governs least, governs best" is correct and the closer it gets to zero the better, then a snarled-up mess of a government that can't do much of anything -- a negative value -- might be better still; but the reality is that it's as least as bad as a big, caring Nanny-state, if not worse. (This explains places like Somalia, where there's actually too many "governments" -- warlord fiefdoms, etc. -- than too much government.) "Zero" is still a thing approached but never reached; too many people want to make sure their neighbors color inside the lines all the time (and never make the giraffes green or the grass purple), and that's before you address the irreducible minimum of criminally-inclined individuals.
The downsides of a large, very inefficient government that leaves you alone because of their incompetence and bureaucratic complications are that it still comes with the cost of a large government, and there's always the chance that some bureaucrat somewhere will regain consciousness and discover that you exist.
ReplyDeleteThe goal, unreachable though it may be, is to continually strive for "zero" (with all the complications and ramifications seeking such nirvana entails), and become increasingly stern in dealing with government size the farther it gets from zero.
Large governments are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel.
ReplyDeleteThe current GSA approved wheel is a pyramid.
Gerry
It looks like our choices today are between Big Government and Big Business, and I'm torn between them. Both are intent on leeching as much wealth as possible from me, but both have their advantages. Big Government is so inefficient they tend to not notice me, so I can (mostly) go about my own life. Big Business is much more efficient, but I can actively participate in it and leech wealth from others.
ReplyDeletesince when aren't Giraffes green?
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that even if the Somalians could vote for the warlord of their choice, and have the winner take office (hut? tent? shipping container?) and govern peacefully, Somalia would still be run by a Somalian warlord, and would just be a more centrally run toilet.
ReplyDeleteMike James
Enjoy the conference...
ReplyDelete