In his syndicated column last Sunday, George Will berated Colin Powell for comparing affirmative action to lobbying for tax loopholes and other forms of corporate welfare. But I was puzzled by Will's statement on a deeper level as well. It is hard to avoid the suspicion that, for many people, it is precisely those interventions that will favor their interests that they will declare normal, and those from which they don't feel that they can benefit that they will regard as being beyond the pale. Our governments, at all levels, repeatedly intervene in the economy to favor the interests of some citizens at the expense of others. Import barriers favor autoworkers at the expense of consumers of cars.
Farm price supports favor farmers at the expense of everyone else who eats.
Minimum wage laws favor skilled workers at the expense of unskilled workers. The people who support such measures often argue that they are motivated by more than economics. The family farm is the backbone of this country. These things, they claim, are worth supporting even if they lose money. Notice that their goals might be achieved through purely voluntary means.