Hvordan ville den politiske debat se ud, hvis alle fortalere for en stor stat altid uden undtagelse skulle fortælle den fulde sandhed med alle nuancer?

Her er, hvad Bryan Caplan forestiller sig:

If proponents of big government had to speak the plain unvarnished undemagogic truth at all times, the case for their favorite policies would be uninspiring at best.

Imagine trying to sell the minimum wage with, “We can raise hourly pay by 10% while cutting employment by 5%.  A modest net gain for workers despite those who suffer as a result.”

Or imagine a world where every politician was limited to ONE “top priority.” Once he says, “Fighting poverty is our top priority,” the most he can say about terrorism is, “Fighting it is our second-highest priority.”

Or imagine trying to launch a war of choice with, “There’s a 30% chance we’ll make things better, 50% chance they stay the same, and a 20% chance we’ll make things worse.  I like those odds.”

Bare forstil jer, hvor meget det ville påvirke debatten om fx pensionsalderen, hvis fortalerne for tidligere pensionsalder, hver gang de åbnede munden, skulle understrege, at man selvfølgelig til en hver tid selv bestemmer, hvornår man går på pension, og at diskussionen alene er et spørgsmål om, hvornår andre (aka skatteborgerne) skulle betale for ens pensionisttilværelse…