The Price of “Free” Why Politics Has Forgotten Common Sense

The Price of “Free” Why Politics Has Forgotten Common Sense By Dale Jodoin Politics used to follow rules of logic and math. You could see where money came from and where it went. It made sense. Today, politics often ignores those simple facts. Leaders promise free programs without explaining how they will be paid for. But in reality, every dollar must come from somewhere. You can borrow, print, or tax, but the result is always the same. Someone pays. It may not be today, but it will be tomorrow. Economics is like physics. You cannot cheat the laws of balance. When governments spend more than they take in, they build a kind of energy debt. That debt has to be released later through inflation, higher taxes, or cuts to public services. These are not political opinions. They are measurable cause and effect results. Once, politics focused on responsibility. Now it is based on psychology. Humans crave safety, reward, and belonging more than logic. When times are hard, and prices are high, people become emotional voters. If someone promises relief, the brain releases dopamine, the same chemical linked to pleasure and trust. It creates a short term bond between voter and politician. But it also shuts down critical thinking. Studies in behavioural economics show that people value immediate rewards more than future ones. This is called “temporal discounting.” Politicians use it to win elections. They offer benefits today, knowing that future costs are invisible to most voters. When debt grows slowly, the pain is delayed. Like eating junk food every day, it feels fine until the health bill arrives. Psychology also explains why people defend bad policies. Humans are tribal creatures. We want to belong to a group, even if the group is wrong. In politics, this becomes “motivated reasoning.” Voters bend facts to protect their identity. They argue not to find the truth but to protect their side. The result is loyalty without logic. Media adds to this problem. Modern news rewards emotion over information. Algorithms push stories that trigger outrage or pride, not understanding. Research from major universities has shown that false or emotional headlines spread faster than factual ones. This constant stream of reaction weakens public focus. People believe they are informed, but they are actually conditioned to react, not reason. The cost of this behaviour shows up in the national budget. Canada, like many Western countries, spends billions more than it earns each year. Debt is now one of the largest items in government spending. Interest payments alone take away billions that could have funded hospitals, education, or senior care. This is the scientific side of fiscal policy: compound interest grows whether you like it or not. Every borrowed dollar multiplies over time. When people grow used to government support, another psychological effect appears. It is called “dependency reinforcement.” Once people rely on outside help, their motivation to return to independence weakens. The longer support continues, the harder it becomes to stop. The system feeds itself until it collapses under its own weight. Culture plays a role too. For generations, Canadians valued hard work and self-reliance. Those values supported stability. But modern culture often celebrates comfort over discipline. It encourages instant rewards and constant approval. From a psychological view, this is a shift from delayed gratification to emotional satisfaction. It weakens long-term planning and feeds political short-termism. The fix is not complex, but it is uncomfortable. The same way a diet requires discipline, national recovery needs restraint. Balanced budgets protect stability. Responsible spending builds trust. These are not outdated ideas; they are natural laws of systems. Whether in biology, physics, or economics, unchecked growth always leads to collapse. Citizens have more power than they think. Each vote signals what kind of system we want to live in. A vote for endless spending is a vote to delay pain. A vote for accountability is a vote for future security. The choice comes down to understanding the science of consequence. A country is like a household. You cannot keep running up the credit card and expect it never to be due. Debt is not evil, but it must serve a purpose. Borrowing for growth is good. Borrowing for popularity is not. The laws of economics do not care about politics. They always balance out in the end. The truth is clear. A stable country cannot be built on feelings alone. It needs facts, discipline, and courage to say no when spending goes too far. Real help does not come from promises that sound nice. It comes from leadership that respects the truth, even when it hurts. Science and math may not win elections, but they always win in the end.