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12/11/2006: "Seven people in a boat"

mbaron writes in response to a post on Small Dead Animals regarding the CWB monopoly:

Democracy isn't six people in a lifeboat voting to eat the seventh.

Sadly, the above quote is actually a very good summary of how democracy works and incidentally why the CWB monopoly deserves to be scrapped.

In a democracy, in general, we vote for one of (hopefully) several people to represent our interests in government. That representative will take actions in favor of and opposed to various issues that he is involved in depending on what he things his constituents would prefer him to do, what would get him re-elected, and what would give him more power. In all cases, the people who would be harmed by those issues have no say in the matter, other than writing to their representative and complaining, hoping to sway their opinion. Even if they do change the opinion, it likely only transfers the harm to another group of people. Furthermore, those people harmed by the action have no redress. No way to choose differently, and no way to exact compensation for the harm done to them.

In the same way, while the CWB monopoly is likely beneficial to at least some farmers, it is equally likely harmful to some. Keeping the CWB monopoly is the will of the majority eating the minority.