The Lessons Learned From the Public School System

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When he was younger, a lot younger I might have called myself an anarcho capitalist. And somewhere along the road I fell off that wagon and was okay with public roads. But you know, I don't think we're ever going to get to private roads. So let's concede that one and let's work on the public school system or whatever is your pick your favorite topic. The way that we conduct public education in the US without choice for the poorest wealthy people has worked fine for them. We don't need choice we need choice for the lowest common denominator.

Is the perfect really the enemy of the good? Or is it the other way around? In 2008, Duke University economist Michael Munger ran for governor and proposed increasing school choice through vouchers for the state's poorest counties. But some lovers of liberty argued that it's better to fight for eliminating public schools instead of trying to improve them. Munger realized his fellow free-marketers come in two flavors: directionalists--who take our political realities as given and try to move outcomes closer to the ideal--and destinationists--who want no compromises with what they see as the perfect outcome. Listen as Munger talks to EconTalk's Russ Roberts about two different strategies for achieving political goals. Along the way, they discuss rent control, the minimum wage, and why free-market policies are so rare.