Using government power to solve problems is like picking up a poisonous snake to wield as a weapon in battle. You might succeed in hurling it at your enemy and poisoning him. But the snake is not an inert tool. It has its own agenda, and will just as likely (or more likely) turn back and bite you first.
That's the analogy I always use to incorporate public choice theory.
I've always scratched bites until they're irritated and then squeeze them really hard to get the poison out. (Note that this strategy is not intentional on my part.) If we translate this to economic policy, we get solving governmental bloat every half-generation or so by taking all the bureaucrats out and putting them against the wall.
Maybe the scratching isn't the problem, just the lack of squeezing subsequently.
Using government power to solve problems is like picking up a poisonous snake to wield as a weapon in battle. You might succeed in hurling it at your enemy and poisoning him. But the snake is not an inert tool. It has its own agenda, and will just as likely (or more likely) turn back and bite you first.
That's the analogy I always use to incorporate public choice theory.
FYI you can fix mosquito bites by heating them up. See e.g. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10309056/ . I think a sauna would also work.
For a moment my mind went to "simply cauterize them with a red hot brand"... but this method seems better :D
Antihistamines also work to make the itching stop.
I've always scratched bites until they're irritated and then squeeze them really hard to get the poison out. (Note that this strategy is not intentional on my part.) If we translate this to economic policy, we get solving governmental bloat every half-generation or so by taking all the bureaucrats out and putting them against the wall.
Maybe the scratching isn't the problem, just the lack of squeezing subsequently.
And people will respond: "that is an oversimplification, you can't just compare X to mosquitos"
Or if the setting is a public debate: "How dare you compare the hardworking people of our district fighting for reasonable wages to children?"
How is anyone supposed to sell such counter-intuitive ideas?
1. Time-travel back to the 18th century Enlightenment, the ONLY basically individualist culture.
2. Each culture has its own intuitions.
3. Wait until Ayn Rand's philosophy is dominant.
4. Convince people to focus their minds and stop relying on intuition.