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> When Professor Cost left his job at Wachtell, Lipton, he took what I estimate to be an 85% pay cut. What would motivate a man to do such a thing? From a gover

> When Professor Cost left his job at Wachtell, Lipton, he took what I estimate to be an 85% pay cut. What would motivate a man to do such a thing? From a government accountant’s point of view, Professor Cost has made a terrible mistake. Whereas before he had earned, say, $2,000,000 in income annually, now he was earning only $300,000 annually. Such irrationality! In a socially just world he would be punished for costing the government $700,000 in tax revenues per year. What nonsense. The writer assumes that the final goal of the goverment is to increase revenue. That is how corporations work, not governments. The goal of government is to represent its citizens to try to achieve the society that citizens want. The goal is to maximize well-being (whatever is each person definition), not cash. From there on, everything falls into this kind of missing the point arguments.

ralusek 4y ago
Governments become self-interested entities. In fact, when establishing the capabilities of a government, designing around this fact is paramount.
- rhaway84773 4y ago
  Most governments don’t remain in power for more than a few years. They are constantly changing. Which prevents what you’re suggesting from happening. Unfortunately, many strong men governments around he world have rigged their elections and/or face weak enough oppositions that they have been in power for way too long, in which case this does indeed become a possibility.
  - rvense 4y ago
    As far as I understand, "government" in (American) English refers to the set of institutions, not the people currently holding office.
  - yucky 4y ago
    > Most governments don’t remain in power for more than a few years. They are constantly changing. Which prevents what you’re suggesting from happening. Over 4 million people are employed by the US Government, with the number being elected to those positions only in the hundreds, and those appointed numbering a few thousand. The reality is there is very little turnover in the government.
- KqAmJQ7 4y ago
  This applies to pretty much any organization imo. From nonprofits to corporations to states.
- kaba0 4y ago
  Hence the thee (four) pillars of democracy.
yucky 4y ago
> The goal of government is to represent its citizens to try to achieve the society that citizens want. This is something we tell ourselves even though we know it isn't true. Take something like the Iraq War, which had abysmal support for many years yet continued on for no good reason. Or what percentage of our CIA operations would the general public feel represents their interests? And how many billions of taxpayer money is wasted on special interests that only a tiny fraction of people care about?
ploppyploppy 4y ago
[flagged]
- okamiueru 4y ago
  Let's not turn this political and insults. The parent commenter is absolutely right about how it is supposed to work, even though you seem to feel it has failed at that. I live in Norway, and I honestly feel that the description above matches what I expect from governments, and its how I'd vote. It doesn't mean they reach the ideal, but your description of reality does not match my observations at all.
  - johngladtj 4y ago
    If that's the case, when was the last time the size, responsibilities and revenues of the government have meaningfully decreased in a permanent manner? I'm talking the state totally moving out of entire responsibilities, and government expenditures and revenues decreasing by over 15% as a result.
    - D13Fd 4y ago
      > If that's the case, when was the last time the size, responsibilities and revenues of the government have meaningfully decreased in a permanent manner? What government are you talking about? The U.S. government? Any government anywhere? Governments change all of the time. Look at the end of the Soviet Union for a recent example.
    - panarky 4y ago
      What's absurd is any tax scheme that takes a larger share of labor income than it does of passive income. People who live off the labor of others should pay tax at a higher rate than people who actually perform the labor.
    - pwinnski 4y ago
      Why would maximizing the well-being of its citizens naturally result in abandoning responsibilities and shrinking by more than 15%? That seems counter-intuitive to me.

ralusek 4y ago

Governments become self-interested entities. In fact, when establishing the capabilities of a government, designing around this fact is paramount.

rhaway84773 4y ago
Most governments don’t remain in power for more than a few years. They are constantly changing. Which prevents what you’re suggesting from happening. Unfortunately, many strong men governments around he world have rigged their elections and/or face weak enough oppositions that they have been in power for way too long, in which case this does indeed become a possibility.
- rvense 4y ago
  As far as I understand, "government" in (American) English refers to the set of institutions, not the people currently holding office.
- yucky 4y ago
  > Most governments don’t remain in power for more than a few years. They are constantly changing. Which prevents what you’re suggesting from happening. Over 4 million people are employed by the US Government, with the number being elected to those positions only in the hundreds, and those appointed numbering a few thousand. The reality is there is very little turnover in the government.
KqAmJQ7 4y ago
This applies to pretty much any organization imo. From nonprofits to corporations to states.
kaba0 4y ago
Hence the thee (four) pillars of democracy.

yucky 4y ago

> The goal of government is to represent its citizens to try to achieve the society that citizens want. This is something we tell ourselves even though we know it isn't true. Take something like the Iraq War, which had abysmal support for many years yet continued on for no good reason. Or what percentage of our CIA operations would the general public feel represents their interests? And how many billions of taxpayer money is wasted on special interests that only a tiny fraction of people care about?

ploppyploppy 4y ago

[flagged]

okamiueru 4y ago
Let's not turn this political and insults. The parent commenter is absolutely right about how it is supposed to work, even though you seem to feel it has failed at that. I live in Norway, and I honestly feel that the description above matches what I expect from governments, and its how I'd vote. It doesn't mean they reach the ideal, but your description of reality does not match my observations at all.
- johngladtj 4y ago
  If that's the case, when was the last time the size, responsibilities and revenues of the government have meaningfully decreased in a permanent manner? I'm talking the state totally moving out of entire responsibilities, and government expenditures and revenues decreasing by over 15% as a result.
  - D13Fd 4y ago
    > If that's the case, when was the last time the size, responsibilities and revenues of the government have meaningfully decreased in a permanent manner? What government are you talking about? The U.S. government? Any government anywhere? Governments change all of the time. Look at the end of the Soviet Union for a recent example.
  - panarky 4y ago
    What's absurd is any tax scheme that takes a larger share of labor income than it does of passive income. People who live off the labor of others should pay tax at a higher rate than people who actually perform the labor.
  - pwinnski 4y ago
    Why would maximizing the well-being of its citizens naturally result in abandoning responsibilities and shrinking by more than 15%? That seems counter-intuitive to me.