Equality Efficiency

Arthur Okun argues that a clear line must be drawn between dollars and rights. At the heart of his argument is that there is an inherent conflict between the two in a capitalist democracy, and politicians can only resolve this conflict through "The Big Tradeoff." With respect to rights, Okun notes that they are fundamentally different from dollars in that they are inalienable and equally distributed, and that as such they cannot be bought and sold, nor distributed in any other manner. Rights, therefore, must be held outside the market, otherwise they will have a price and lose their inalienability. Dollars are different because they are not inalienable, and they can be traded or used as incentive. He thus argues that they two are fundamentally distinct from one another, and must be held separate as a result. There can be no blending of the two, or rights will...
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