| That's what being politician means. This job isn't about solving problems, it's about making an appearance that you solve them. Suppose a terrorist did something with his shoe that he wasn't supposed to. Here is how it should be solved: "Based on our research, the probability of dying because of the terrorist attack is XXX, which we can reduce by YYY using blah-blah, therefore we should allocate ZZZ funds in that area." Would you vote for this guy? Well, most people won't even understand what he is talking about. So here is what happens in practice: "Okay, I don't know how to decrease national debt or prevent poverty, so let's find something else. Oh hey, terrorism! I know how to solve it. Forbid shoes at the airport. Sounds simple enough. So we can say 'we successfully fight terrorism'. And just in case people don't care enough, make this issue the most important one and add 'hey, think of the children' into the mix." So the general population becomes scared of terrorism 'cause guys running for office told them they should be. It's not politicians who are stupid, it's people who vote for them. |