Scott Santens: Wasteful or Fatal
on Thursday, December 31, 2020Scott Santens Money Quote saying in response to an AOC tweet that there is a difference in errors of omission and errors of commission when it comes to ‘wasting’ taxpayer funds. Scott Santens said:
“Either someone gets money they don’t need or they don’t get money they do need. One of those can be wasteful while the other can be fatal. Too many people think wasteful is worse than fatal” — Scott Santens
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Scott Santens is contrasting two scenarios: someone receiving money that they don’t strictly need versus someone not receiving money that they do need to survive. He argues that the former situation of excess or “wasteful” money is not as bad of an outcome as the latter situation where a lack of necessary funds could result in death.
Santens seems to be making the point that it is better for resources to be allocated in a way that prioritizes meeting people’s basic survival needs even if it means some level of excess or inefficiency. According to Santens, preventing potential fatal consequences for those in dire need should take precedence over concerns about optimized efficiency or preventing all wastage of funds.
He appears to be advocating for social policies that favor preventing worst-case scenarios over maximizing strict financial prudence in all cases.
There are two possible "errors" to make here. Errors of inclusion and errors of omission. Either someone gets money they don't need or they don't get money they do need. One of those can be wasteful while the other can be fatal. Too many people think wasteful is worse than fatal.
— Scott Santens🧢🏄♂️ (@scottsantens) January 1, 2021