H.L. Mencken was right: "Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods."

The Public Choice economists remind us that contrary to what the civics textbooks imply, public "servants" have the same ambitions as the rest of us --wealth, career, influence, prestige. But there's a big difference between us and them. Politicians, bureaucrats and the people they "rescue" get money through force -- taxation. Don't think taxation is force? Try not paying, and see what happens.

The rest of us must achieve our goals though voluntary exchange in the marketplace. That difference -- force versus voluntary exchange -- makes all the difference in the world.

Blagojevich allegedly assumed someone would be willing to pay dearly to be a U.S. senator. I'm sure he was right. But if government were less important in our lives, politicians would have fewer goodies to trade. In return, we'd have more money and more freedom.

That's one more reason to limit government power.