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> generally I would expect a higher level of competence from the leaders of our public...institutions Speaking from the American perspective, I think people br
by culturestate 6y ago
> generally I would expect a higher level of competence from the leaders of our public...institutions
Speaking from the American perspective, I think people broadly assume a level of competence in elected leaders but either aren't able or simply don't care to seek out and identify leaders who meet the standard. There are a lot of factors in play here - time, attention span, media, political polarization, etc - but at the core it feels like there are huge numbers of voters today who simply don't appreciate how hard it actually is to do these jobs well.
There's a quote from the West Wing that sums this up pretty nicely:
"Yeah, but a funny thing happened when the White House got demystified. The impression was left that anybody could do it."
- pdonis 6y ago> there are huge numbers of voters today who simply don't appreciate how hard it actually is to do these jobs well. I would put it a bit differently: there are huge numbers of voters today who simply don't appreciate that nobody can do these jobs well. Not with the expectations voters currently have of them. The solution is to lower expectations: stop demanding that the government solve all problems, and limit it to the few proper functions that it can actually perform decently.
- nerdponx 6y agoNice "small government" propaganda. Surely the private sector can do these jobs better, right?
- apatters 6y agoYou obviously want to grind an axe and assume the worst about other people, but these are all alternative answers: - Local governments - Communities - Nonprofits/charities - Individuals Time was when didn't all just piss and moan for some big party boss to save us, we acted like adults and did it ourselves.
- mindslight 6y agoNone of those organizations (or even state governments for that matter) have a large amount of resources, either through direct taxation or money printing. I'm all for advocating decentralization, but it's only a solution if DC stops sucking most of the resources upwards and squandering them.
- pdonis 6y ago> it's only a solution if DC stops sucking most of the resources upwards and squandering them In other words, we should limit each level of government to the few functions it can realistically perform. Exactly.
- culturestate 6y ago> limit it to the few proper functions that it can actually perform decently. I have many thoughts on this subject and HN isn't really the best venue in which to articulate them, so let me just say this: in democracies, people tend to get all the government they deserve. An engaged electorate which values competent administration, interrogates candidates on their qualifications, and votes according to merit will probably get a highly effective - though perhaps mildly sociopathic - government. An apathetic electorate which dismisses qualifications, abhors nuance, demands ideological purity, and votes (or doesn't!) emotionally, well...
- a1369209993 6y ago> An engaged electorate [...] will probably get a highly effective - though perhaps mildly sociopathic - government. > An apathetic electorate [...], well... ...will get a ineffective and massively sociopathic government.
- pdonis 6y ago> An engaged electorate which values competent administration, interrogates candidates on their qualifications, and votes according to merit will probably get a highly effective - though perhaps mildly sociopathic - government. Can you give any actual historical examples of this state of affairs?
- culturestate 6y agoYou don't need to look very far: countries like Denmark, Germany, and New Zealand are high-functioning democracies that exist right now.
- pdonis 6y agoDepends on your definition of "high functioning" and "democracies", I guess.
- culturestate 6y ago