“Government” is the Antonym of “Choice”

Legislators make laws, but seem fond of disregarding laws of nature. I mock their hubristic disregard by calling such silliness Anti-Gravity Legislation. Imagine how many unicorns we could have if gravity were cut by 20%. Let’s propose a law!

Sheldon Richman takes the proposers to task:

Politicians talk all the time about making us better off, but they are thwarted by an iron fact they prefer to ignore: Government provides no net benefits. What it gives away it has first taken from others under threat of punishment. It has to break windows in order to bestow benefits. Politicians simply move scarce resources around, defying consumers, who in a free market would direct them to uses that they believe would better serve their purposes. Government is the antonym for choice. This means the politicians truly can do good only by doing what they abhor: giving up power.

H/T: Division of Labour