James V. DeLong on Ending "Big SIS" (The Special Interest State)

"Obamacare is not, as one judge says, a national solution to a problem," argues James V. DeLong. "It's 2,000 pages...of special-interest-written law."

As such, it exemplifies what DeLong, a long-time Washington insider who has worked for many think tanks and government agencies, denounces as "Big SIS" or the "special-interest state." In his scathing - and utterly convincing - new book, Ending Big SIS and Renewing the American Republic, Reason Contributing Editor DeLong traces how "the political system creates economic advantages for special interests and then demands that part of the profits be fed back into the political system, where they are used to enhance the power of the political incumbents."

Whether the topic is defense spending, agricultural subsidies, health care, or the financial sector, DeLong documents the pervasive rot at the core of Washington's way of doing business - and provides ideas for cutting Big SIS down to size.

For more information on the book and DeLong, go to http://www.specialintereststate.org/i.... For his Reason archive, go to http://reason.com/people/james-v-delo...

About 6 minutes. Produced by Joshua Swain. Interview by Nick Gillespie. Camera by Meredith Bragg, Jim Epstein, and Swain.

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  News & Politics

[ThorsMjollnir0341]

This is why I always argue for small government, because the more power the government has, the more special interests will seek to utilize that power for their own ends. This is what the Occupy Movement is lacking in their thinking. They do not understand that corporate power is what it is because they have plugged into the government power source.

[rubbersole79]

And I've heard that it's 2700 pages. Apparently, just like the content itself, no one even knows how big this document is.

It's like a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, covered in doo doo.

[Textynn]

"Government is the enemy of the free community" that is WRONG. A community can agree to do x, y, or z. That community can call that agreement, government, which is the design of the FOUNDERS. The Gov that we agreed to is OF, AND BY, THE PEOPLE. The Gov is suppose to be the GREATER COMMUNITY IN SERVICE TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE COMMONS FOR ALL.

We don't have that. Our government is occupied.

You are wrong. Gov is the VOICE OF THE PEOPLE and without it we are subject to private whims.

[jbo5112]

Just because an industry is privately owned, doesn't mean that it's part of a free market. When was the last time you heard of anyone legally prescribing drugs that weren't approved by the FDA? It's expensive to get a drug approved in the US and illegal to market foods based on known health benefits. If the drug market is so controlled by the government saying which drugs you cannot have, which drugs you can have and which drugs require a doctor to get, then how can you call it free?

[rubbersole79]

"The best way to repeal a bad law, is to enforce it strictly."

Abraham Lincoln

[nottinmatterz2day]

with chocolate icing. don't forget the chocolate icing

[Mythicregard]

This guy really gets it. Hats off to you Mr. DeLong. This is the result of a practically limitless government and it's resulting interventionist economy. Strict measures to limit government power and ensure a free economy will virtually put an end to special interests. The problem is that most Americans are against the measures necessary to limit government. Most truly believe things will be worse with the citizenry having more freedom and the government having less.

[FuckObamasMama]

Aaah!

Yeah!

Obamas supporters really do believe bigger government will keep costs down.

They have their lips firmly planted on his jock.

They believe that another black man may not get another chance to run for office as the pres.

This is because under it all they don't believe a black man can succeed again.

And they play the race card outword instead of inword.

[Textynn]

Yeah, too busy shilling for corporate scumbags. And doing a very poor job of it I might add. Damn, what kind of fucktard shills for private health care that kills and gatekeeps for greed causing the deaths of hundreds of thousand yearly. Desperate amoral jerkwads of the lowest caliper, that's who.

[aramagoo]

Finally ,we are presented with something truthful!

[XCritonX]

Obviously you are not taking your meds, or you are taking to many meds.

I don't try to reason with the mentally handicapped, I am too busy.

[Textynn]

Yes this government is corrupt because it is owned by private industry. You're as stupid as you are uninformed.