To the Editor,
Henry Stern raises a great question (Oct. 12 p1) but then only addresses individual misconduct by politicians. I think the greater source of our disappointment with the people who represent us comes from “the system” that gives politicians conflicting interests. We corrupt them. We corrupt them by making the price of our votes giving us promises they can’t fulfill, that they have to campaign for using money from special interests they end up serving instead.
That’s a crazy way to run a society, but it’s what we ask for. In a free market economy it’s actually the choices of the free markets that steer the economy, and government has almost nothing to do with it. If people make market choices that steer the economy over a cliff, as we persistently did for the last 30 years, we’re free to do that too. It’s our choices.
I think it’s more likely that we’d get honest government if we elected people for their insight and honesty, not for their hollow promises.
JH
