Politicians are incentivized to pass more bills to show they are "doing something." However, this constant addition of regulation and process often makes issues like housing and education more expensive and complex, demonstrating a paradox where less government intervention could yield better results.

Gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan argues that the core issue in Sacramento isn't powerful lobbies like public sector unions, but politicians who lack the will to push back for the public good. The system rewards catering to organized interests over delivering results for constituents.

According to James Burnham's "Iron Law of Oligarchy," systems eventually serve their rulers. In government, deficit spending and subsidies are used to secure votes and donor funding, meaning leaders are incentivized to maintain the flow of money, even if it's wasteful or fraudulent, to ensure their own political survival.

Government programs often persist despite failure because their complexity is a feature, not a bug. This system prevents average citizens, who are too busy with their lives, from deciphering the waste and holding the "political industrial complex" accountable, thereby benefiting those in power.

Treat government programs as experiments. Define success metrics upfront and set a firm deadline. If the program fails to achieve its stated goals by that date, it should be automatically disbanded rather than being given more funding. This enforces accountability.

Previously, the party in power was blamed for government shutdowns, creating an incentive to resolve them quickly. In today's hyper-partisan environment, this feedback loop is broken. Blame is diffused, and parties no longer face the same immediate political consequences, leading to longer and more frequent shutdowns.

Criticism of the 'non-profit industrial complex' is misplaced. The root cause of misaligned incentives is politicians failing to tie public funding to performance. Elected officials must create outcome-focused contracts that hold service providers accountable for measurable results, rather than just activity.

Every negative news story creates a legislative impulse to add more rules for safety. This "safetyism" leads to layers of process and bureaucracy that ultimately hinder progress. It's a politically safe way for legislators to appear active without being accountable for actual outcomes.

Despite a $150 billion state budget increase over six years, California has seen no corresponding improvement in critical areas like housing, education, or safety. This points to a systemic lack of accountability and misaligned incentives, not a lack of money.