The Most Cynical of Political Gestures?

Politicians do a lot of cynical things. But few are more jaded than the ritual demonstrations of care, concern and advocacy for working people.

While it's easy to dismiss standard campaign fare like as good work for good wages or even President Joe Biden's promise to be the most union-friendly incumbent ever, these generic statements have real-world consequences. And as Cato's Scott Lincicome writes, they often result in destructive economic policies that make everyone – workers included – poorer and less free.

But there's a solution: politicians should work for more freedom in the economy and the workplace:

…lawmakers should reform interventionist policies that lower most Americans' living standards and discourage them from changing jobs or locales. Simply moving from high-cost, heavily regulated cities such as New York and San Francisco to more affordable ones like Houston and Pittsburgh can mean a better life and more financial stability, especially for low-skilled or less-educated workers. Yet current federal, state and local policies increase Americans' economic burdens in expensive cities, while mortgage subsidies, welfare rules and employer benefit mandates make it costlier to move or change jobs.

Next, policy makers should implement market-oriented measures on education, remote and independent work, home-based business and employee benefits to maximize worker autonomy. Surveys show that Americans increasingly value flexibility over wages and independence over employment security. Business creation and job switching have both surged. Still, many in Washington think of American workers as helpless, static and in need of government protection from cradle to grave, despite their registered preferences and the documented harms that such policies as European-style labor regulations can inflict on them and the U.S. economy more broadly.

Of course, this is asking major party politicians to work against type and their professional interests. And most, particularly those whose careers and electoral bases benefit from aggressive government meddling in the economy, will never change course.

But greater economic and personal freedom must be on the agendas – even if it has few real supporters in elected office. Why? To stand as the alternative to state interference – to be the example of what a government truly interested in the general welfare of all citizens should aspire to.

It might be a futile gesture. But our task is to hold the banner of change high and demand others rally to it.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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