Arnold Kling quote analogies for government.#

I've got an idea that would revolutionize the way we do our weekly shopping.

Every few years, we all vote for our favourite supermarket company. The one that gets more votes across the country than any other then gets to deliver our shopping every week to all of us, regardless of whom we voted for. It delivers goods of its own choosing, at prices that it sets. It will make us buy Pedigree Chum even if we don't have a dog...

Now, this is probably the stupidest idea you've ever heard. But it's exactly how we buy our political services.

There won't be any beach volley ball!#

Alex Tabarrok discusses kidney sales.#

Becker and Elias have a useful response to (so-called) moral objections. Take any argument against kidney sales and apply it to the volunteer army. Do kidney sales "commodify the body?" Perhaps, but then the volunteer army commodifies life. Would kidney sales eliminate altruistic donation? As the example of Pat Tillman and many others demonstrate people still volunteer for the military for non-monetary reasons. Are there difficulties for donors to calculate risks? Again, perhaps, but these also apply to joining the military (and if so we could allow for a cooling-off period for both donating an organ or joining the military, as we do in some states for auto purchases).

If you are not in favor of the volunteer army then Becker and Elias don't have any knock down arguments but I suspect that many people who are against kidney sales also favor the volunteer army and for these people Becker and Elias are posing a consistency challenge.