Whence Legitimacy?
Some are reporting that the Obama Administration has agreed to protect drug prices in its health care plan in return for a $150 million campaign by the drug lobby in support of the plan. Oh, dear. Oh, dear.
My problem is not with the drug prices. For all I know we need to keep drug prices high to keep innovation rolling. My problem is not with the administration’s health care plan (I assume its bad because, well, most things are, but I don’t have strong feelings). My problem is that this kind of thing is the death of democracy. Legitimacy is the root of government, and we’re losing it. We’re losing it left and right, hand over fist, nothing to be done about it. I predict that within 20 – 30 years, passion for democracy and voting rights will be a quaint obsession, like passion for states rights or federalism is now.
Vader
August 10, 2009
We are changing from an entreprenurial society to a rent-seeking society. In other words, we are going from a society where the way to get ahead is to work hard and snart into a society where the way to get ahead is to curry favor with the rulers. Y’know, stuff like getting preferential tax policy on trade routes in the Outer Rim.
Vader
October 1, 2009
The sad thing is that the previous two comments are about as coherent as the average comment on the religion page of the Salt Lake Tribute.
Ben Pratt
October 1, 2009
Yeah, really.