Tag: asymmetry

They pledged to go around the state now and “listen.” I won’t question why the bill had large exceptions for special interests, was promoted by simplistic analysis and floated by overinflated rafts of political sloganeering. Now politicians want to listen. That difference, the difference between public and legislative knowledge is “Representational Asymmetry.” Representational Asymmetry happens when politicians and insiders are far more informed than the public. Yes, teach first. Teach both the short- and long-term impacts, both to local governments and individuals. When companies raise funds they are required to make full fact disclosures — not just what’s favorable, but the good, bad, and the ugly. Because today’s technology puts powerful tools for what I’m suggesting squarely in the hands of the politicians if they want to really teach – especially when different bill elements impact taxpayers differently. Truth be told, most government websites are thinly disguised re-election tools. For example, instead of just showing just a single “average” taxpayer impact, an interactive website could help each taxpayer learn the bill’s consequence to themselves individually. The taxpayer could simply answer some survey questions, hit a button and let the technology teach him or her about their personal impact.