I just finished filling out my survey on my views of the Food and Drug Administration’s monopoly on approvals of drugs and medical devices. I was one of 305 economists asked by Econ Journal Watch to do so.

Most of the questions allowed for answers of the yes/no or strongly disagree to strongly agree variety. But at the end, I got to comment at greater length. The last question is:

Do you have any general comments about this questionnaire or further thoughts about the matters treated?

I answered:

Yes. I would have liked to give my reasons for things. Specifically, the question about government’s knowledge. We are individuals with different incomes, wealth, inclination, attitudes to risk, etc. The idea that government can make good decisions about what drugs we should have is as absurd as the idea that government can make good decisions about what places we should be allowed to travel to.