Blame the expanding government for our bitter, polarized politics

Sept. 21, Michael Davis, an economics professor in the Cox School of Business at SMU Dallas, for a commentary linking our polarized politics to competition for the intrusive and escalating benefits doled out by the government. Published in the Orange County Register and affiliates of the Southern California News Group under the heading Blame the Expanding Government for our Bitter Polarized Politics: https://bit.ly/33cZPZZ

The chances of a chaotic unprincipled ending to the presidential election — an outcome dictated by lawyers and judges rather than decided by voters — seems real enough. We have tight races in several key states where ballot rules change on the whim of a judge.  We have partisans on both sides who’ve publicly announced they may not accept a loss.

This is not good. We already have a divided democracy that struggles to produce coherent policy. The only thing worse would be a divided democracy that can’t provide for a legitimate transfer of power.

This is a good time, then, to ask, “What would Nixon do?”

Continue reading “Blame the expanding government for our bitter, polarized politics”