Democracy and Power 106: A Politician Receives No Financial Gain for Good Policy or Punishment for Bad Policy

It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong. —Thomas Sowell

In a democracy, a politician has no ownership interest in the state. There is no financial gain for wise policy decisions. Nor financial lose for bad decisions.

A politician’s rewards are immediate – power, prestige, and perquisites.