IP: IHS' Damon Cheston on creating $18 billion federal content agency

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 01:35:23 -0400
>To: politech@politechbot.com
>From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
>
>[Damon is the program director at the Institute for Humane Studies at 
>George Mason University. He's responding to Rick Karr's note at
>http://www.politechbot.com/p-02303.html -- if Rick cares to reply, I'll 
>give him the last word. --Declan]
>
>---
>
>From: "Damon Chetson" <dchetson@gmu.edu>
>To: <declan@well.com>
>Subject: RE: Replies to $18 billion agency from Wired's Platt, NPR's Karr
>Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 09:32:17 -0400
>In-Reply-To: <5.0.2.1.0.20010725161923.02001b80@mail.well.com>
>
>Declan,
>
>I take issue with Mr. Karr's assumption that because reporting "ain't
>cheap", the government has to step in to do it.  Karr assumes that the kind
>of programming on NPR cannot be provided for voluntarily in a free market -
>hence his statements about MSNBC and CNN.  So, instead, he argues that all
>people should be forced to pay for programming via tax money that only a few
>people actually use.  (Indeed, if more people used it, advertising would
>cover the cost in Karr's scenario).
>
>It's always interesting to hear people define the "public good" and then
>insist that people should be forced to supply it through tax money.  Usually
>their conception of the "public good" includes all sorts of things they
>personally like and benefit from.  In fact, all sorts of activities - from
>exercise to eating fruit to philosophizing about the role of government -
>contribute to the public good.  Does that mean that government ought to
>provide them?
>
>I'm all for foundations supporting the arts, Mr. Karr's NPR, and, of course,
>my philosophizing about the role of government since that money is
>contributed voluntarily by people who care about those issues.  I think we
>need to be skeptical of ANY attempt to use taxpayer dollars since at root
>tax money is the result of coercion.
>
>Finally, there's an interesting public choice question to consider here.
>Once started through government money, will this National Web Institute (or
>whatever) ever die?  Not likely since once the institute is staffed and
>budgeted, it will take on a life of its own regardless of the continued
>importance of its mission.
>
>Best,
>
>Damon Chetson
>
>** You can post this if you think it's worthwhile **



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