How Words Like "Essential" and "Need" Are Abused by Politicians
05/18/2020Gary Galles
Over the years, one of the most common trump cards used to justify government treating people differently, rather than equally, has been the word need. And when used to override individuals’ ownership of themselves and what they produce, its usage has created confusion rather than clarity. In public discussion, “need†has increasingly morphed into one of its synonyms—essential, as in “essential jobs.†But it still suffers from many of the same analytical problems.
“Need†has the logical disadvantage of lacking a clear meaning. But that is also its biggest political advantage, because careful thinking is the enemy of inappropriate policy. The same is true for government determination of essential jobs.
“Need†implies agreement on what and how extensive the need is. However, needs are in the eye of the beholder and vary dramatically from person to person. That is why attempts to determine how much of something is needed never seem to come to the same answer (e.g., how many calories we “need†or how much money is “needed†to live in an area). When we don’t actually agree on its extent, “need†just pretends there is agreement anyway, which is hardly a reliable basis for making policy. The same is true for what jobs and products are essential. In some states, that list included lotto sales and liquor stores, because state revenues rank near the top of government essentials.
https://mises.org/wire/how-words-essential-and-need-are-abused-politicians
