The Big-Spending, High-Taxing, Lousy-Services Paradigm
James Madison would have to revise--or possibly burn--Federalist No. 10 if he were forced to account for the new phenomenon of the government itself becoming the faction decisively shaping its own policy and conduct. (See âMadisonâs Nightmareâ in City Journalâs 2009 special issue, âNew Yorkâs Tomorrow.â) This faction dominates because itâs playing a much longer game than the politicians who come and go, not to mention the citizens who rarely read the enormous ownerâs manual for the Rube Goldberg machine they feed with their dollars. They rarely stay outraged long enough to make a difference.
via The Big-Spending, High-Taxing, Lousy-Services Paradigm by William Voegeli, City Journal Autumn 2009.