Carpe Diem (Mark Perry): Two Very Dangerous Words: "Fair" and "Fairness"
In "The Armchair Economist," economist Steven E. Landsburg posed the following:
"Suppose that Jack and Jill draw equal amounts of water from a community well. Jack's income is $10,000, of which he is taxed 10%, or $1,000, to support the well. Jill's income is $100,000, of which she is taxed 5%, or $5,000, to support the well. In which direction is the policy unfair?"
An honest person will admit that this question has no indisputably right answer. Prof. Landsburg then asked "If I can't tell what's fair in a world of two people and one well, how can I tell what's fair in a country with 250 million people and tens of thousands of government services?"
HT: Don Boudreaux
The words "fair" and "fairness" are two of the most dangerous words in the English language, for the following reasons: …
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