Friedman frequently referred to this insight as the “invisible hand in politics,” which he defi ned on the bicentennial of The Wealth of Nations as “the precise reverse of the invisible hand in the market”: politicians seeking to promote the public interest are “led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of their intention.” As a result, they sacrifi ce “the public interest to the special interest, the interest of the consumers to that of producers, of the masses who never go to college to that of those who attend college, of the poor workingclass saddled with employment taxes to the middle class who get disproportionate benefi ts from social security, and so down the line."

Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, loc. 481