What are the economics and ethics of vote-buying? I know that they probably have the same effects if they illegalized as drugs do, and I think that allowing vote-buying, like bribery, is probably better than disallowing it (possibly illustrated by how the Gilded Age was relatively more capitalistic with vote-buying than we are without it now,) but I was wondering if anyone might elaborate?
Democrats...
And Republicans...
Parsidius: What are the economics and ethics of vote-buying? I know that they probably have the same effects if they illegalized as drugs do, and I think that allowing vote-buying, like bribery, is probably better than disallowing it (possibly illustrated by how the Gilded Age was relatively more capitalistic with vote-buying than we are without it now,) but I was wondering if anyone might elaborate?
I'd say if you have to have voting at all, allowing vote-buying would be a positive good. E.g., net tax payers could directly pay voters not to vote for tax increases, rather than having net tax receivers vote themselves other people's money: the receivers would still get the benefit, but it would cost less (the government doesn't siphon off most of the money on the way through) and would limit the size of government (since it can't siphon off most of the money on the way through), etc.
It's hilarious to see politicians and ordinary people alike supporting democracy and its "benefits", but rejecting vote-buying and populism. But vote-buying and populism are a core part of democracy and you can't really distinguish them from other democratic processes.
If we're to reject populism, we ought to reject democracy, since populism supports the majority at the expense of the minorities.
Voting against property rights is immoral, so buying votes that would be against property rights is immoral.
That means voting for someone who has proposed any kind of tax, or government sponsored action is immoral.
Of course, you could discuss whether it's moral to sanction anyone to a position of government power, but that debate's been beat to death here.
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