COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES. Lexington Green on stupid and venal politicians.

Having mediocre politicians is a consequence of our having a superb private economy. We are, actually, fortunate that we have some relatively competent and public-spirited people in public life at all.

This is not a problem with a solution, but a permanent, structural condition.

Nor is it one that needs to concern us much.

Precisely. Ask yourself what commercial progress you'd be willing to give up in order to obtain public officials "better" by some objective standard, and whether governance, which is a messy thing anyway, would be much improved thereby.