[MD] minimalist public policy

[Ben Golden]

[Ben] (previously)
The best government is one that best facilitates the creation/discovery of 
dynamic quality while preserving static quality.  It's a maximization 
algorithm, wherein preservation of static quality trades off with 
development of dynamic quality.

[Platt]
Yes, I agree.

[Ben]
Platt, I'd like to clarify just how capitalist you are, given the above 
agreement as to the purpose of government.  The education debate has shifted 
to which function better between public and private schools, which stemmed 
from a point I made about funding education as a whole.  Is your favored 
policy private school vouchers?  Or is it to not fund education at all?  By 
my reckoning, there are some out there, who, upon having to pay the full 
costs of their children's education, wouldn't do so.  I'd think those kids 
would have a greatly reduced chance of producing something with dynamic 
quality.  So I'd think government that seeks to maximize development of 
dynamic quality has an interest in funding education.

I think this MoQ model favors greater government intervention than standard 
utilitarian models do, since it favors policies that actively shift 
individuals' preferences towards greater pursuit of dynamic quality.  
Whether particular programs are effective/efficient remains an important 
question, but overall I think the kneejerk capitalist position that all 
government policies are bad clashes with the MoQ-based definition of 
government.

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