Comparison in choice and public discourse
Economists think of household choices and government choices as selections from a set that could truly be selected from-- affordable in one way or another by use of funds, energies, time and space, actually existing in this world.* That selection implies comparisons of genuine possibilities.
We hear a lot of argument in which an option is rejected because it is imperfect or has costs, without any comparison with another genuine possibility.
This should lead us to put our hands on our wallets and ask questions.
* It's perfectly legitimate to have "search for a better option" be in the possibiity set and be selected. But I'd always ask for more specifics, including In The Meanwhile What, At What Cost, and What Constitutes Success Then.
Facebook posts incorporated:
Genuine options, comparison, and public discourse
We hear a lot of argument in which an option is rejected because it is imperfect or has costs, without any comparison with another genuine possibility.
This should lead us to put our hands on our wallets and ask questions.
* It's perfectly legitimate to have "search for a better option" be in the possibiity set and be selected. But I'd always ask for more specifics, including In The Meanwhile What, At What Cost, and What Constitutes Success Then.
Facebook posts incorporated:
Genuine options, comparison, and public discourse