Do not think about, write about or deal with human behavior until determining the effects of incentives.
John Brown was a social worker in Ontario who became a relentless self-promoter and government-supported “entrepreneur” who “pioneered” child treatment programs loved by the media, but of dubious value. He became a member of the provincial legislature and dedicated drainer of the public purse. At one point, he was receiving $64 per day per resident, the equivalent, in current dollars of about $120 K per year per resident. People became suspicious of his lavish life style and, before you could say, “fraud” he was convicted of siphoning funds to the equivalent amount, in today’s dollars of $5.4 Million. In government, this is known as an oversight, a bookkeeping hiccup, and Brown was sentenced to three years in jail.
At the time of his death, the provincial legislature, with unanimous consent, remembered his contributions “fondly”. Only one member acknowledged his “troubles”, mentioning that Brown “… found himself in troubles in his later life”. By using the passive voice, this means that Brown was an unfortunate victim of chance, an innocent. Brown was not troubled, but a troubler. Remembering a fraudster fondly.
Politicians are smart and moral–How can we not trust them?
Cheerio and ttfn,
Grant Coulson
Cui Bono–Cherchez les Contingencies
