News of this hilarious study by two professors from Princeton and Northwestern is sure to excite the booboisie. It turns out —gasp— that John Q and Sarah Public have zero influence over government policy. We can only wish Mencken was alive to comment. What’s the next great revelation, your vote doesn’t count?
Just for the record, there is not supposed to be a “policy” for society, the economy, or you as an individual. We’re supposed to be free. Our humble advice: Ignore any individual or organization who casually uses the expression “public policy.” It’s a terrible example of statist language, and it necessarily implies the speaker’s acceptance of a host of evil assumptions. Libertarians especially have no business employing the phrase. Worrying about public policy is like worrying about whether a Mafia hitman uses a garrote or a bullet.
