5 Jul 2010

The Free Market Competency Test: 3 simple questions for political candidates.


You can blame politics, ideology, or our education system but the simple math of the free market has largely been replaced by convoluted economic theory that treats all economic systems as equal.  This is especially true with elected officials where too many so-called Republicans spout free market principles, then promote (and even brag about) spending money the government doesn't have.  Most elected Democrats are a lost cause (Idaho's Walt Minnick being the rare exception) when it comes to understanding free market principles - let alone embracing them.  Both conditions are reflective of too many politicians moving from school to government/university gigs to elected office with very little free market exposure along the way.  

The bottom line:

The competency of free market principles in both parties is severely lacking.

So with that rant out of the way, I created The Free Market Competency Test below.  Of course, anyone can take a stab at answering these 3 simple questions, but they are intended to gauge the free market awareness/comprehension of candidates running for office.  If you are a candidate (or represent one), I would be happy to interview you and post it as a podcast.  

  
  1. Where do jobs come from?

  2. Where do taxes come from?

  3. How does the economy grow?


Please don't tell me that the answers to these questions are complicated.  Like I said, these are simple questions.  As such, they should have simple answers. 

Final thought: if you are a voting citizen, please ask these questions of candidates in your area.  Please feel free to post their answers in the comments section of this post.  Please include the name, office, and location of the candidate you spoke with.

Spread the word!