I very much suspect Obama partisans and Trump partisans won’t like this column, but the sad reality is that both Obamacare and Trump’s protectionism have a lot in common.
- In both cases, government is limiting the freedom of buyers and sellers to engage in unfettered exchange.
- In both cases, the fiscal burden of government increases.
- In both cases, politicians misuse statistics to expand the size and scope of government.
Today, let’s add another item to that list.
- In both cases, the Washington swamp wins thanks to increased cronyism and corruption.
To see what I mean, let’s travel back in time to 2011. I wrote a column about Obamacare and cited some very persuasive arguments by Tim Carney that government-run healthcare (or, to be more accurate, expanded government control of healthcare) was creating a feeding frenzy for additional sleaze in Washington.
Congress imposes mandates on other entities, but gives bureaucrats the…