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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Referendums and Initiatives
Message-ID: <4553@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Oct-84 17:12:18 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4553
Posted: Mon Oct 29 17:12:18 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Oct-84 17:12:18 EST
References: <854@ubc-ean.CDN>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 28

> >  The main problem with initiatives is that their effects are seldom thought
> >  through beyond the immediate impact.  Of course people will support
> >  an initiative that at the same time declares (i) taxes will be reduced,
> >  (ii) the civil service will be cut, (iii) government services will
> >  be improved. 
> 
> Please give the electorate some credit. It doesn't take a university
> degree to realize that items (i) and (ii) will conflict with item
> (iii). 

Mmm, really?  Then why do introductory economics courses find it so
difficult to make students understand the basic principle that "there
ain't no such thing as a free lunch"?  (I.e., no matter what you do,
there is always somebody paying for it.)

I'm sure that if you asked most people explicitly, they would agree that
cutting revenue and increasing service are fundamentally incompatible.
But most of them will still complain bitterly that their taxes should be
cut and the service to them should be improved, and their standard response
to reports of injustice or hardship will be "the government should *do*
something about it".

There is a difference between knowing something intellectually, and
appreciating it thoroughly and deeply enough that you automatically
apply the knowledge to any related issues, even when it hurts.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry