Michael Lissack more paradoxically, a society dedicated to the enrichment and enhancement of the self will only survive and certainly will only prosper if its dominant ethic is the support and encouragement of others. Proper Perhaps Jonathan Rauch phrased it best in his Demosclerosis: • stays. Because the paralysis of interests tends to turn government re- actionary and maladaptive, the principles should be forward-looking and pro-adaptive. I suggest the following: • Favor the poorest. Does a program serve the poorest of the poor? Then give it special consideration- not a safe conduct or an exemp- tion from critical scrutiny, but a leg up. • Favor the diffuse. Does a program serve a class of people- consumers, say, or the unemployed-who are too broad and diffuse to lobby? Then give it special consideration. (But be skeptical of lobbies that claim to represent the broad public interest; they are just as likely to be in business for themselves as is any other lobby. Self- styled consumer groups often advocate policies-overregulation, for instance-which are bad for consumers but good for consumer groups; same for many groups claiming to represent taxpayers or the planet or whatever.) • Favor the young. Does a program primarily benefit children (a clas- sic diffuse constituency, unable either to vote or to lobby)? Then give it special consideration. But, again, beware. Adults have been known to collect subsidies by claiming to speak for children. • Favor investment over consumption. Does a program have a strong claim to be a long-term investment? Then give it special consider- ation. But be tough-minded and selective, because everyone calls his favorite program an 'investment.' • Disfavor organized interests. Does a program benefit an identifiable group, profession, or region? Then it deserves, at best, suspicion. • Don't do what markets can do. Does a program provide a service that markets could provide or beneficiaries could pay for? Then it's a good candidate for the trash can.
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