Social vs. Economic Policy In the Real World (For ACers)

[Iplayboard]

This is in response to hmkpoker's thread
Social Policy is Economic Policy

The first assumption I am going to make is that this is true.

Let's compare drug prohibition to taxation (I'm basically reiterating hmkpoker's argument and using it as my context). Libertarians will agree that both of these are theft on the part of the government. In the case of drug prohibition the government is redistributing money from drug buyers to drug sellers since drugs cost more because they are illegal( of course the drug seller doesn't reap the full reward because much of the redistribution is wasted in government regulation).

In the case of taxation(for simplicity we will only look at welfare) the government is redistributing money from the rich to the poor (of course the poor don't reap the full reward because much of the redistribution is wasted in government regulation ).

So to the Libertarian, both cases look like equal cases of thuggery on the part of the goverment.

However, this is in the theoretical sense. Let's look at the real world. Real life politicians and thus real life polices don't treat social and economic issues as one in the same.

Two policitians are running for office. A Ronald Reagan conservative and a liberal (can't think of any true liberals, I wouldn't count most Democrats).

Ignoring all other issues the conservative wants to abolish income tax and maintain the war on drugs. The liberal wants to maintain the current income tax and abolish the war on drugs.

I would vote for the liberal and I'm guessing hmkpoker would vote for the conservative and of course borodog wouldn't vote at all.

The "social issues are economic issues crowd" will jump in and say that they are both just economic issues and since I will now be able to buy drugs cheaper I am merely voting in my economic interest. That is true to an extent, but I am also voting on the basis that I don't want to be arrested do to my drug usage. Now, you could argue that someone who opposes taxation and votes for the conservative is also voting on the basis that they don't want to be arrested do to their not paying taxes. But realisticly, look at how many people are imprisoned for drug use versus how many people are imprisoned for not paying taxes.

In the case of taxes, the thing that you are valuing is money. The government is taking away some of your money, but not all. Thus you are still free to spend or invest the rest of it without fear of imprisonment.

However, with regards to drugs, the thing that you are valuing is the drugs. Since drugs are illegal, you cannot do ANY drugs without the risk of imprisonment.

Finally, if you still don't believe that in the real world economic policy differs from social policy, then please explain the concept of same-sex marriage as it relates to economics. My assumption is that people desiring it are not doing so for tax breaks, but rather for the public acknowledge their union, which is something you cannot buy on the black market.