One of my favorite exchanges from “Yes, Minister” between Jim Hacker and the subversive career bureaucrat Sir Humphrey Appleby is when Hacker, the junior minister for administrative affairs, asks Sir Humphrey about whether he (Sir Humphrey) believes government policy should be carried out “even if it is wrong.” Sir Humphrey responds
“Well, almost all government policy is wrong. . . but frightfully well carried out!”
This came back to mind when seeing the results of a PNAS study that shows that excess deaths in the United States, which adopted the COVIDiocy with great relish, were among the highest in the world, while Sweden, which has the least mindlessly restrictive policy, had the fewest.
Our friends at the Committee to Unleash Prosperity have produced a fine report on these findings that offer ten key lessons for policymakers. Highly recommended.
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