Peggy Noonan stole my thoughts!

Relax, I'm kidding. Peggy Noonan did not steal my thoughts. She did however echo something I've been saying for some time, in more general terms.*

In today's Wall Street Journal in discussing the health care battlefield, she had this to say;

Every big idea that works is marked by simplicity, by clarity. You can understand it when you hear it, and you can explain it to people. Social Security: Retired workers receive a public pension to help them through old age. Medicare: People over 65 can receive taxpayer-funded health care. Welfare: If you have no money and cannot support yourself, we will help as you get back on your feet.

These things are clear. I understand them. You understand them. The president's health-care plan is not clear, and I mean that not only in the sense of "he hasn't told us his plan." I mean it in terms of the voodoo phrases, this gobbledygook, this secret language of government that no one understands—"single payer," "public option," "insurance marketplace exchange." No one understands what this stuff means, nobody normal.

Noonan goes on to say that if people don't understand it, they won't buy into it. She's exactly right. I'm glad more people are starting to see and/or say that simple means sensible. No health care bill requires 1000 pages. Who wrote this monster? Was it one super intelligent being? No, Obama wasn't involved *sarcasm*, he left it to Congress.

*In previous blog posts I've said this;

Think of a business model. Think of the laws of physics. Think of your favorite song (it's probably not an 18 minute jazz opus). Think of the concept of hard work pays off. Think of effective corporate slogans and logos (for example Nike, what's their slogan, and their logo?). The fact of the matter is simplicity, simply, works. It just does. It's the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid (either that or Gene Simmons).

...

So if simplicity works, why do people including government officials (elected or otherwise) assume that the government has to be so complex? Not meaning to go all libertarian on you, could the United States government not go miles towards easing economic problems by simply easing up on the complexities they have imposed on American business? The tax code is over 67,000 pages long. Does that seem reasonable to anyone other than a bureaucrat or a lawyer? I can't begin to imagine how many pages of federal laws there are.

and this with respect to keeping government's role small and simple;

The government doesn't tell you what part of the sandbox to play in. It doesn't tell you what games to play, what toys to play with in the sandbox or how long you can play for. It's there to make sure the sandbox is okay to play in and those playing in it aren't harming each other. Period.

and more recently, this;

The message that will connect with voters has to be clear, concise and simple to understand. The wrong approach to take is to emulate the Obama approach - vagueness. It worked for him in 2008, but his believers are turning to skeptics. Why? Because vagueness breeds an internalization of what the candidate means. The internalization is to see the candidate in the best or worst possible light. What you get after the fact, is the stark reality of how the candidate really governs. The issue is, Obama used up the tactic. Because of the disillusionment over his real governing style, it can't be used again because people will demand more up front accountability. Simply put, that same tactic won't work for at least another 20 years.

I'm not claiming invention of the concept of simplicity, even as applied to politics. The Bill Clinton campaign in 1992 thrived on it. I'm just saying that in the current climate of legislative clutter, simplicity is what will cut through and connect with people. Every message has to be distilled down to it's simplest form. It can have all the sophisticated analysis behind it that might be required, if it is. It needs to be based in truth, and to be able to be substantiated. But it MUST be simple. "Death panels" is a great example.

Sara Palin cut through the health care clutter like a knife through butter.

And it worked. Those two words tore through the health care debate and affected a change in the crafting of the bill.

Let's face it, I'm not really one to talk about simplicity. I'm typically too verbose for my own liking, let alone someone else's. But I know truth when I see it, and I know

Simpler = more gooder.

[Hat tip for the phraseology; Opie and Anthony]

The Sandbox - More simplicity

Earlier today I wrote about simplicity and how it could be applied to government to make the lives of everyone easier.  I thought it might benefit from a simple analogy.

Imagine the United States as a sandbox. What is government's role in the sandbox? Is it to rule the sandbox as a bully, a king or even a benevolent dictator? In many sandboxes that would be the case. But America is guided by a different principle. In the American sandbox, the role of the government is to be the playground monitor.

The government dictates the size of the sandbox; where the borders or edges are (don't go outside the sandbox). It makes sure that everyone in the sandbox plays nicely; don't throw sand in other peoples' faces. It makes sure that kidnappers don't come and harm or steal those playing in the sandbox. Beyond that the sandbox is to be used as private citizens and industry want.

The government doesn't tell you what part of the sandbox to play in. It doesn't tell you what games to play, what toys to play with in the sandbox or how long you can play for. It's there to make sure the sandbox is okay to play in and those playing in it aren't harming each other. Period.

Simplicity works

Think of a business model. Think of the laws of physics. Think of your favorite song (it's probably not an 18 minute jazz opus). Think of the concept of hard work pays off. Think of effective corporate slogans and logos (for example Nike, what's their slogan, and their logo?). The fact of the matter is simplicity, simply, works. It just does. It's the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid (either that or Gene Simmons).

You might argue that physics has some complex underlying math, but the principles of physics are pretty simple. For example the concept of inertia can be simplified down to objects in motion unless acted upon by an outside force, will remain in motion, and objects at rest will similarly remain at rest. It can be further simplified to a statement an 8 year old can understand: Things like to do what they are already doing.

So if simplicity works, why do people including government officials (elected or otherwise) assume that the government has to be so complex? Not meaning to go all libertarian on you, could the United States government not go miles towards easing economic problems by simply easing up on the complexities they have imposed on American business? The tax code is over 67,000 pages long. Does that seem reasonable to anyone other than a bureaucrat or a lawyer? I can't begin to imagine how many pages of federal laws there are.

Why not have fewer laws? Why not get rid of burdensome impositions of Sarbanes Oxley, and mark-to-market accounting? Why not go further and clean up laws that were written decades ago and are no longer relevant?

Why not simplify existing laws so that they are easier to understand? It would require fewer lawyers of America, freeing up talent to go after engineering, medical, teaching and business degrees? It's easy to pick on lawyers, but this is a critique aimed at the profession, not the individuals.

How about dramatically simplifying the tax code? We know the tax code is where the government can use it's powers to drive specific behaviors, for example child tax credits, or charitable donations. And yes, it can be leveraged as a tool to get votes by either party. But the tax code and things like the Alternative Minimum Tax are way too complex. Why not impose a flat tax? Or scrap the income tax altogether? Could America afford to give up the government revenue? Of course not.

The GNP of the United States in 2007 (pre-recession hit) was $13.84 trillion. If you scrapped income tax and put a value added tax on all goods and services you could still come up with the $2.57 trillion in government revenue from 2007. True, the tax rate would have to be 18.5% on every transaction. But it's not as bad as it seems, according to the site Homeland Stupidity.

Between federal, state and local governments in the United States, about 40% of Americans’ income goes to taxes and various statutory fees. And that’s why you’re having so much trouble getting ahead. Federal income taxes are only a small portion of the taxes we pay. We also pay federal payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare, state income taxes, state and local sales taxes, property taxes, death taxes and excise taxes. . . .

So the government could cut the total average tax burden by 50% and still generate the same revenue. Seems simple enough. And while we are at it why not simplify things by ridding the government of a few unnecessary departments? Strip it down to the core responsibilities. That might help make up the rest of that revenue gap to government spending.

Why should we want so much simplicity? Because simple works. Simple is beautiful. It makes things run more efficiently. It gives you more freedom as an individual. I'd say more but I don't want to complicate the argument for simplicity.

The irony is that people on the left who want freedom often only see it from their own perspective. It's fine for me but put businesses in a straight jacket. Make them make my car green. Make them pay $70 per hour for labor. But make them sell me that car super cheaply because everyone deserves transportation - it's my right as a liberal American, and it's also the right of that illegal immigrant over there. See, they've already started complicating things. Simple - let GM make the cars it wants to make, and you buy the car you want to buy. If you don't like a big SUV and that's all GM makes, buy somewhere else. They lost your business because they didn't diversify their product line to your tastes. And if no one wants to sell you a hybrid and you can't buy one because your one of only 6 people in the nation who want one, well then take the bus. Simple.

Of course, all of this may have to wait for at least 2012 - some people are currently quite busy trying to really impress us all with how smart and enlightened they are and show us how complex and Byzantine they can make things and how we will all benefit from their superior intellect. So 2012 it is.