Conventional wisdom has, for decades, informed us that foods high in cholesterol increase our blood cholesterol levels. As it turned out, conventional wisdom is wrong. Not for the first time, and not for the last. We shouldn’t be distressed by this. It is the natural order of things that humanity continues to improve its body of knowledge, and history is full of scientific misconceptions that eventually got sorted out. We take the new knowledge and adjust accordingly.

What we should be distressed about is government’s role in perpetuating bad information. Reason recently published a story about how the government’s dietary guidelines were bought by special interests. This sordid story is just one of countless examples of influence peddling, regulatory capture, and the corruptive effect of special interests. These aren’t the core problem, though. The core problem is that we refuse to learn the obvious lesson.

A four trillion dollar government overseeing a nation with over 300 million people and the biggest economy in the world offers enormous opportunities to those who wish to leverage government to their advantage. The benefits of getting government to tip the scales in one’s direction are huge, with thousand-fold returns available. Obviously, people are going to chase these returns. We cling, naively, to the premise and hope that, if we simply elect the right people, these rent-seekers and influence-peddlers will be rebuffed. That the mountain of evidence showing it doesn’t work out that way hasn’t seeped into our collective consciousness yet is terribly sad and bodes ill for the nation’s future.

Not only do we not learn the lesson, we continue to make government bigger and more powerful. As we do so, we increase the incentives for the rent-seekers and influence-peddlers. We make the reward for bending government to their will ever greater. So, naturally they’re going to work even harder at rent-seeking and influence-peddling. Sure, some will say we simply have to elect and appoint incorruptible white knights. Here I quote Milton Friedman’s response to Phil Donahue:

Just tell me where in the world you find these angels who are going to organize society for us?

Even if you find the incorruptible white knight, you run into Lord Acton’s truism:

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.

and you forget that the white knight must rely on the people beneath him. Richard Dawkins’ “subversion from within” principle inevitably wins out – those who are more selfish will ultimately crowd out those who are more altruistic, and the rent-seekers and influence-peddlers will find their success.

So, what to do? Stop trying to “fix” Big Government, stop trying to create Good Government. Accept the reality that, like water flowing downhill, special interests will always find their way in. The only way to stanch their influence is to reduce the power they seek to corrupt. A small government is one that can do less harm when influenced. A restrained government is less likely to issue guidelines that are subject to corruption. A government with fewer tools is less likely to wield those tools on behalf of the well-connected and against the common good.

When we grant the power to control, we grant the power to be controlled. When such power exists, those who stand to reap the greatest benefit will put the greatest effort into seizing it. We will not solve this problem by continually seeking people who will wield this power wisely and incorruptibly. History makes that abundantly clear. The only way to solve this problem is by denying the power to control. The only solution to influence-peddling and rent-seeking is small government. The only way to win is not to play the game. Take the tools away, and they can’t be used against you.

• About the Author

About Peter Venetoklis

I am twice-retired, a former rocket engineer and a former small business owner. At the very least, it makes for interesting party conversation. I'm also a life-long libertarian, I engage in an expanse of entertainments, and I squabble for sport.

Nowadays, I spend a good bit of my time arguing politics and editing this website.

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