Heed Friedman: "Get the Wrong People to do the Right Things"

Milton Friedman (1912-2006)

In blue states like California and Illinois among
others, Republicans feel blue, and independents and disaffected Democrats may
not fare much better. Who can blame them? They are surrounded by a rising flood
of liberalism which is drowning their states in the wrong "red", as
in ink because of fiscal follies which are degenerating into damning
bankruptcies.

The lately trend among
frustrated citizens in swing and one-party states has centered on finding the
right candidates and running them against entrenched or embattled liberal
incumbents. Once they get the right people in office, the Republicans and
conservatives can start getting their political constituencies running in the
"right" direction. Other interest groups have proposed a "No
Labels" approach, that a third party is needed, or that Independents who
refuse to caucus with either side can break the gridlock in Congress.

These method is are delayed — days late, and too
many votes short. Why does anyone have to wait until the right people are in
Congress or in the statehouse before the voters can demand reform and recovery
in their better interests? In some states, turning the political tide will
require more than just getting the "right" people in office. Until
the next election, what are Republicans, Independents, and even disaffected
Democrats to do?

Free market economist Milton Friedman has shared
insights on free trade, school choice, immigration reform. He also had some choice ideas on the way to "fix Congress", and a
better method for enacting change.

At one speaking function, circa 1977, a member of
the audience declared: "We need to change Congress in order to get off the
treadmill."

Friedman sharply rebutted that notion:

No, we don't need to change Congress. Excuse
me. You know, people have a great misunderstanding about this. People in
Congress are in a business to buy votes. They're in the business of competing
with one another in order to get elected. The same Congressman will vote for a
different thing if he thinks that's politically profitable. You don't have to
change Congress. People have a great misconception in this way, that the way
you solve things is by electing the right people. It's nice to elect the right
people, but that isn't the way you solve it. The way you solve things is by
making it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right things.

Is this assertion true?

Consider the following examples.

Congress repealed its National Maximum Speed Law in 1995, returning the power back to the states.
Non-enforcement and frustration from statehouses helped move Congress to
repeal.

Following the expansive firestorm of protest over
"amnesty" in immigration reform, US Senate Majority whip Trent
Lott (R-Mississippi) turned away from the proposed plan
in
2007. He later resigned from office.

When Fred
Upton, the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee, authored amendments to the 2007 Energy Bill which would phase
inexpensive light bulbs for more "energy efficient" and expensive
light fixtures. The uproar over the legislation forced Upton to change his
stance on the bill.

While running for President in mid 2011, Former
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty attempted to back-pedal on his support for
Cap-and-Trade, a response to overwhelming displeasure from constituents about
the Wall-Street Insider scam which would tax the poor at the expense of the
rich stock brokers seeking to cash in on carbon credit transactions.

In California, state senator Ted Lieu contemplated
tripling
the state's car registration fee. The
uproar about the proposal was
so great, even his wife chided him for the proposal, and a
dedicated interest threatened a recall effort. Lieu recalled the proposal.

This past month, residents, taxpayers, property
owners, and all concerned citizens protested a rise in the county sewer
fee, which the Los Angeles County
Border of Supervisors was contemplating for a Clean Water, Clean Beaches
initiative. The $54 fee would have hurt homeowners and even apartment dwellers.
Supervisor Don Knabe opposed the fee, and enough residents protested. In spite of some
clandestine efforts to pass the increase, a vocal uproar throughout the county
pushed the supervisors to table the measure.

California voters do not have to wait to elect representatives
who will do the right thing. Get the right proposals out there, and encourage
your officials to support them, even if they are the "wrong" people
politically or ideologically. Make it politically profitable for your
legislator to support your views initiatives, and reforms, wherever he or she
may stand in the ideological spectrum.

Voting for the right people is nice, but getting
active on issues is better. Call, write, organize, and make your opinions
heard. In short, "Get the wrong people to do the right things."