If one wants to become an airline pilot, they get specialized training to gain the skills to safely fly planes. If one want to drive a car, they get training – from a parent or a driving instructor – in how to safely operate an automobile. In both cases, tests must be successfully passed before one can partake in these endeavours.
When it comes to politics though, there are no barriers to entry; it’s merely a popularity contest. If you win, then you get to make decisions for thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people.
This discussion between Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel resonated deeply. Featured within is an interview Stossel conducted with Aisha Chughtai, the Vice President of the Minneapolis City Council, the full version of which can be seen here.
Carefully listen to Ms. Chughtai and you’ll see a person who is deeply ignorant about basic economics and does not understand the first thing about how incentives make people do what they do.
Elections have consequences. Voting for ignoramuses, who are extremely unqualified for the super important jobs they’ve signed up for, is a certain recipe for disaster.
Circling back to the original analogy, if you are not a trained pilot, would you think about getting in a plane and trying to fly it? Arrogant people like Chughtai clearly would.