The Seen and the Unseen

Every political decision has consequences you can see and consequences you can’t. The factory that stayed open, the job that was never created, the business that quietly closed — invisible, but real.

• Builds on Bastiat’s insight that bad policy looks good only when you ignore what it destroys
• Politicians exploit visible benefits while the invisible costs pile up where nobody’s looking
• Intent and outcome are often opposites in political decision-making, and this explains why

The difference between a good economist and a bad one is the same as the difference between a good citizen and a bad one: the willingness to look at what didn’t happen.