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December 01, 2003

Too Many Plans

Every four years it begins again, and we're just seeing the beginning of the pain of a presidential election in the inane 'debates' between however many Democrats are running for President at the moment. The hallmark of every candidate: what he or she is going to do. Several candidates have detailed health care plans already on the record, and we can expect to see still more proposals as the general election draws closer. Every candidate seems compelled to explain not just what he stands for, but precisely what and how he will do if elected. As Vermont Royster noted a quarter-century ago, this is a silly notion. Royster lays out why this is a bad idea in good detail, so I won't repeat his arguments. Instead I'll lay out a few things I'd like to hear from a candidate.

I'd like to hear someone say that they're not going to get excited about every perceived problem in this country. I'd like to hear someone tell me that state and local governments can handle most problems, and that individuals working together can handle most of the rest. I'd like to hear someone tell me that he has no immediate plans to impose some new government program that will probably do more to exacerbate the problem than to solve it while costing three times as much as originally promised. I'd like a candidate who is more interested in getting the government to focus on a few core tasks rather than the Shelob we now possess that spins her webs everywhere she touches until nothing is able to escape her grasp.

I want a candidate who is willing to run for office and then leave me alone. Is that really so much to ask?