Comments on: Milton Friedman vs. The Philosopher Kings

By: De Doc

De Doc — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 06:41:34 +0000

Brad: I beg to demur. There are the best, the brightest; and then there are the "best and the brightest". The former know what they know, and what they don't; that tends to lead to prudent silences. The latter, secure in their self-exaltation, do exactly as Adam suggests. Never did have much truck with Plato. Never...

By: Brad Warbiany

Brad Warbiany — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 06:06:59 +0000

Adam,

There are often “best and brightest” who don’t offer ways to regulate your life. However, the vast unwashed masses, who have been spoonfed the religion of government by the public education system, are the problem. They’re voting for the ones who offer ways to regulate your life. The ones who don’t offer bread and circuses don’t get elected.

By: Adam Selene

Adam Selene — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:44:47 +0000

Have you ever noticed that the “best and brightest”, the philosopher-king, is always the person that champions some way to regulate my life? They don’t envision that some other person would be doing the regulating for their own good. Indeed, when the outcome inevitably occurs, that someone they don’t like is regulating them, they bitterly complain about the person (Republicans and Bill Clinton, Dems and George W. Bush) rather than seeing the philosopher-king approach as the problem.

Our friend, Leigh Sutherland, in our latest healthcare thread is cut from that mold. The question, of course, is what happens when you don’t have a genius to run the regulations and make sure it all comes out best?