Politics vs. Markets
29 September 2006
The Editor, New York Times
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
To the Editor:
The pious whining about negative campaign ads (Letters, September 29) prompts me to wonder why private merchants never seek customer patronage using means commonly employed by politicians seeking votes. Why, for example, does Toyota not run ads featuring grainy black-and-white photos of Volkswagens that have been in fatal traffic accidents?
One reason is that, unlike in politics, consumers who dislike a popular make of automobile aren't forced by a majority of other consumers to buy and drive such cars. This greater consumer choice makes private markets much more responsive to consumer desires - and to a wider range of consumer desires - than politicians are to voter desires. Consumer goods, therefore, generally are of much higher quality than are politicians, resulting in few opportunities for private firms to win customers merely by pointing out the disappointing quality of competitors' wares.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
The Editor, New York Times
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
To the Editor:
The pious whining about negative campaign ads (Letters, September 29) prompts me to wonder why private merchants never seek customer patronage using means commonly employed by politicians seeking votes. Why, for example, does Toyota not run ads featuring grainy black-and-white photos of Volkswagens that have been in fatal traffic accidents?
One reason is that, unlike in politics, consumers who dislike a popular make of automobile aren't forced by a majority of other consumers to buy and drive such cars. This greater consumer choice makes private markets much more responsive to consumer desires - and to a wider range of consumer desires - than politicians are to voter desires. Consumer goods, therefore, generally are of much higher quality than are politicians, resulting in few opportunities for private firms to win customers merely by pointing out the disappointing quality of competitors' wares.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Monday May 28, 2007 at 7:57am