Posted by
Defend America on Wednesday, December 09, 2009 9:40:36 AM
Misusing knowledge to expand government power
By: Michael Barone
Senior Political Analyst
December 9, 2009
"Knowledge
is becoming more specialized and more dispersed, while government power
is becoming more concentrated," writes economist Arnold Kling in his
new book "Unchecked and Unbalanced." "This discrepancy creates the
potential for government to become increasingly erratic and, as a
result, less satisfying to individuals."
"Less satisfying to individuals" is a mild way to put it. In a
recent Annenberg focus group, pollster Peter Hart asked Philadelphia
suburbanites to write the name that came to mind when they thought of
Congress. A retired auto executive and 2008 Obama voter wrote, "Satan."
When asked why, he said, "Because I wasn't sure of the correct spelling
of 'Beelzebub.' "
Kling's point is that such disenchantment is inevitable when
government officeholders make sweeping decisions about matters on which
they lack, and only a few specialists have, detailed knowledge. Which
is what Congress and the Obama administration have been busy doing
these past 11 months.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Misusing-knowledge-to-expand-government-power-8641333-78813172.html