ABSTRACT
"Government must do more," President Clinton once told Congress. It seems a natural response to societal problems or injustices. Some issues only government can handle, and undeniably it does some good things. But government has also been described as a collection of very smart people that does very dumb things. While it is indeed a powerful force for getting things done, that very power itself poses problems, which must be faced even by optimists. Another problem is bureaucratization. Government tends to be poor at balancing them. It can never have enough information or perspicacity, in such a complicated world. And government has to be responsive to voters, who are often swayed by emotion rather than sober analysis. Government spends billions on such regulatory overkill, and businesses spend billions more complying. It makes few of us safer or healthier, but surely makes us all poorer. One government response is rent control.
