If a nice name comes to be attached to a nefarious policy, even those people who are harmed by that policy can be misled into mistaking that policy as being one that works in their favor – or as being at least a policy that is admirably motivated or that achieves commendable outcomes for the public at large. Who, after all, dares oppose trade that’s “fair”? Who can object to “level” playing fields? Who would not want the government to prevent its citizens from being “dumped” on by foreigners? Who would applaud prices that are “too” low? These labels sneak in the false conclusion both that what is so labeled really exists as such, and that the accompanying policies actually achieve the results implied by their labels.
Don Boudreaux, “Quotation of the Day…”, Café Hayek, 2017-11-09.
