Russ Roberts writes,

I don’t get it. Why is $4 million of taxpayer money going to a mall so that Costco will come to Wheaton?

In a one-party state, businesses that are friendly to the party receive subsidies, and businesses that are hostile to the party face regulation. That in turn destroys the incentive to oppose the party.

The Obama Administration would like to operate this way. On health care, they have used waivers and threats to reward friends and punish enemies. Those tactics are not quite as effective if there is a viable opposition party. After November of 2008, I did not think that a viable opposition party existed. I still would not count on it.