Greek Austerity – an editorial note
As most news followers know, Greece is in a democratic pickle. The Greek government views austerity as being the way to tackle the nation’s economic woes, but the people overwhelmingly reject this strategy. How does the government proceed democratically? How does the government proceed intelligently?
I guess this boils down to a debate between the representative and agent views of democracy. Are our elected officials supposed to represent the people, and act as their constituents would act in parliament? Or are our officials supposed to be agents, deciding for us what is the best course of action?
I would say that in this case, the agent definition holds much more water. The fact that Greeks don’t want austerity measures is preposterous. Greeks should consider that politicians should not act on their behalf, but rather for their benefit. This is definitely true in a case where the popular sentiment is economically foolish. Government officials are elected because they have more knowledge and experience in running the country. Let them use it. This is no less democratic.