Dreaming Big Dreams

I have nothing against trying to improve things.  OUr current medical system is not very rational, and could definitely use improvement.  But planners need to consider the incentives that their systems create.    For example, many critics think that the welfare for families with dependent children had the unintended consequence of breaking up families, since mothers got more money if they were single.  No one intended it, but it happened.  Economics is not particularly moral any more than physics or engineering. It is simply reality, especially with regard to human beings and their motivation.   

Similarly, it seems to be inevitable that if you provide services by means of a government monopoly, since there is no competition, there is little incentive for efficiency.  Inefficient private companies go broke. Cruel, but practical. 

It is nice for the Democrats that they control the government right now, but was it really wise for them to exclude the Republicans from the process of drawing up the stimulus plan?  Is it a good idea to ignore intelligent people who disagree with you?  Is it possible that a plan worked out as a compromise might have been a little more practical and better designed?   

Don't forget what happened last time the Democrats controlled Congress and the Presidency.   Only two years to the next election.