Good Points From Burlington, Vermont, from Something Adam Smith Said (approximately)

Claire Collier in “Burlington Free Press”, Burlington, Vermont (26 April), writes a blistering comment on US politics as represented by Rich Tarrant, a fellow correspondent and, apparently, a Republican.

I shall not comment on the issues because I am not familiar with US politics.

We’ve got an election on here in Scotland for the Scottish Parliament on 3 May, and that is confusing enough, and I’ve voted already, using my postal vote, while the noise emanating all around us is of the usual low standard of debate. On the scale of 1 to 10 it’s around 4. On the good humour count it’s minus 10. I think the candidates could do well to ‘lighten up’, as I believe it is said nowadays.

However, Claire’s post is punchy enough and I think she scores a good point with her use of Adam Smith to rebut something Rich had said (allegedly). She writes:

“Tax structure favors the wealthy” by Claire Collier”

“Adam Smith wrote that his economic theory required honorable actors, and he thought the competition for financial success would produce such people. Enron, anyone? He knew nothing of the effects of mass psychologically driven advertising, golden parachutes, lobbying, the insulating effects of size and the guilty paranoia of personal competition for the ultimate goal, money and power.”

Read the rest of her letter here.