Why doesn't the gov't legislate what people buy with food stamps?

[KrazyHorse]

Lucas critique

EDIT: the classic example is the phillips curve

[Heraclitus]

You're an idiot.

The government has NO IDEA how much I like twinkies or how much I like not being fat.

Listen can't we all just get along?


I propose a compromise. Everyone on food stamps is now a state owned slave. There, they can't own property and cant participate in the market and the utility they get out a twinkie is irelevant.

The goverment also now also has all the tools it needs to get utility out of the slaves being in good health


I should totally run for office.

[Hauldren Collider]

While I agree that human beings show some signs of "irrationality" in decision-making (e.g. hyperbolic discounting) I think you should bear in mind that these are far less important than the ability of most individuals to utility maximize under normal circumstances. And while I agree that there is a case for government pushing incentives slightly one way or another, you have to remember that government is usually makes FAR more irrational decisions when it comes to individual welfare than the individual himself does.

There's a more fundamental point here: Is the average government bureaucrat any smarter than the average citizen? If not, how could they ever do a better job even disregarding all of the other subtler reasons that government sucks?

[Hauldren Collider]

Why do you think the government wouldn't know better? Government policy-makers have more information re: nutrition than the average person does. The average person is not a dietician or doctor.

Wise rule by the elite doesn't work because the elite are never the ones picked to rule. Also what KH said.

[KrazyHorse]

The average government bureaucrat is almost certainly significantly smarter than the average citizen in most meaningful ways.

That not the point. I'm much smarter than almost everybody in the world, but my ability to make good decisions for them is tremendously limited.

[Heraclitus]

Lucas critique

Thank you.

I was actually going for Goodhart's law, but since its so closley related reminding me of Lucas critiqe joggled my memory right.

[Al B. Sure!]

You're an idiot.

The government has NO IDEA how much I like twinkies or how much I like not being fat.

Your value judgments are being made under conditions of disinformation at worst and lack of information at best.

[Hauldren Collider]

I should probably amend my wise men statement. We live in a democratic republic, which is a system designed to be at least no worse than the average person but usually select people are above average to run the place.

basically the assumption is that there's no particularly good way of picking the best people and in doing so you run the risk of picking bad people. So as long as we think letting everyone vote is a good thing, it seems most consistent to me to generally allow everyone to decide what they value most.

hopefully that makes sense.

[Heraclitus]

I should probably amend my wise men statement. We live in a democratic republic, which is a system designed to be at least no worse than the average person but usually select people are above average to run the place.

basically the assumption is that there's no particularly good way of picking the best people and in doing so you run the risk of picking bad people. So as long as we think letting everyone vote is a good thing, it seems most consistent to me to generally allow everyone to decide what they value most.

hopefully that makes sense.

Why don't we leave policy decisions to the market? Let people bet on whats best.

[Wezil]

I propose a compromise. Everyone on food stamps is now a state owned slave. There, they can't own property and cant participate in the market and the utility they get out a twinkie is irelevant.

The goverment also now also has all the tools it needs to get utility out of the slaves being in good health

I said the same thing in far fewer words pages ago.

[KrazyHorse]

Your value judgments are being made under conditions of disinformation at worst and lack of information at best.