Why Government Is the Problem (Essays in Public Policy)

Why Government Is the Problem (Essays in Public Policy)
Milton Friedman (Author)
(23)

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Commentary & Opinion

The major social problems of the United States—deteriorating education, lawlessness and crime, homelessness, the collapse of family values, the crisis in medical care—have been produced by well-intended actions of government. That is easy to document. The difficult task is understanding why government is the problem. The power of special interests arising from the concentrated benefits of most government actions and their dispersed costs is only part of the answer. A more fundamental part is the difference between the self-interest of individuals when they are engaged in the private sector and the self-interest of the same individuals when they are engaged in the government sector. The result is a government system that is no longer controlled by "we, the people." Instead of Lincoln's government "of the people, by the people, and for the people," we now have a government "of the people, by the bureaucrats, for the bureaucrats," including the elected representatives who have become bureaucrats. At the moment, term limits apear to be the reform that promises to be most effective in curbing Leviathan.

• Rank: #2921 in Books
• Published on: 1993-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .70" h x 5.70" w x 9.00" l, .10 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 18 pages

Description #1 by Powells.com:

Politics-Political Science

Description #2 by Barnes & Noble:

Categories: United States - Politics and government - 1981-1989, Free enterprise->United States, United States->Economic policy->1981-. Contributors: Milton Friedman - Author. Format: Paperback

Description #3 by Rakuten.com Shopping - Better World Books:

The role of government in medical care, however contentious and bewildering, is increasingly important given that the finance of medical care in Western democracies is now dominated by public expenditures. Why do governments choose the medical programs they do? How do particular struggles in medical care illustrate more general political conflicts? This book stems from Marmors conviction that political science can provide answers to questions such as these. Furthermore, the essays presented here demonstrate that political analysis is a crucial element of any sensible approach to policy making. The essays are grouped intro three parts. Firstly, how the general findings of a political science illuminate disputes over medical care. Secondly, looks at political conflict in American medicine, such as paying doctors, representing consumers and restraining inflation. Lastly, the essays tie different sorts of political analysis to the appraisal of issues such as national health insurance in th