Revealed Preferences (people are liars)

[Borodog]

Lol. Pretense of knowledge FTW.

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The bottom line: Politicians and bureaucrats can SAY what they want to happen and actually want that to happen, but fall into numerous fallacies (i.e. "I know what's best for everyone, regardless of their individual means and ends and the laws of economics be damned!" ), irrational tradeoffs, or poor understanding of the available information or its consequences. This has the potential to cause complete social failure from intervention. Do you disagree?

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[Phil153]

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Lol. Pretense of knowledge FTW.

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The bottom line: Politicians and bureaucrats can SAY what they want to happen and actually want that to happen, but fall into numerous fallacies (i.e. "I know what's best for everyone, regardless of their individual means and ends and the laws of economics be damned!" ), irrational tradeoffs, or poor understanding of the available information or its consequences. This has the potential to cause complete social failure from intervention. Do you disagree?

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Yes, I disagree. Advanced societies such as those in the West have elaborate systems of oversight and corroboration built by very intelligent people (things like a constitution, bills of rights, houses of parliament, separation of powers, election procedures).

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"I know what's best for everyone, regardless of their individual means and ends and the laws of economics be damned"

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When there are shared goals and finite goods, someone has to make that decision. Under any system, there can only be one road going past the front of yours and your neighbor's house. Between you, you have to decide how to manage it. Similarly, there is only one Yellowstone. Management has to be delegated to someone on behalf of all, and that someone will suffer from all the problems you describe.

I happen to think that a solid political system is the best way of ensuring that such decisions get made in the public interest without majorly hurting personal liberty. You may disagree.