Why government works
Modern liberals, besides the above arguments in favor
capitalism, also need arguments for why government sometimes works. Again
the problem is who watches the watchmen. And, like capitalism in the
realm of economics, there is in the realm of politics an ingenious
solution: democracy. The government watches the people....and the people
watch the government. Since the constraints imposed by capitalism
are not sufficient to perfectly align private and social interests,
government officials should provide additional constraints. How do we
know they'll do what's right? If they don't, they'll be voted out of
office. While capitalism gives unequal power to rich and
poor, democracy gives equal power, one man one vote.
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