Underappreciated aspects of the ratchet effect
Liberty & Power
by Robert Higgs

“I have always insisted that modern government has many facets and that, at minimum, a study of its growth must consider not only government spending (or taxing or employing), but also the government’s scope and power. Changes in these latter aspects of government do not leave the same kind of easily retrieved record, or numerical data set, that economists typically work with — and without which they are more or less at sea, or in denial. Over the many years that I have pursued my research into the growth of government, I have repeatedly met with evidence of essential elements of the ratchet effect that lie completely beyond the purview of conventional economic research on this subject.” (12/16/08)

http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/58352.html

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[JR: Every gooferment actions, law, or program needs a SUNSET date!]

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