The lack of real-world experience many politicians have is a bipartisan problem. Plenty of Republicans have been in politics from the moment they left school and their real-world, private-sector experience is limited. They too are perceived as not understanding ordinary Americans’ problems because they have not been on the business end of out-of-control government. The Senate has only one manufacturer in it (Ron Johnson of Wisconsin). The revolt of Republican voters in 2016 against career politicians—even successful and capable ones such as Walker—and the success of Trump is evidence of this.

I practiced law in the private sector for ten years, and I got a great education in how the American legal and regulatory system affects business. In my trade law work, I learned the costs regulations imposed on businesses. In my patent law work, I learned the costs of patent litigation—especially patent “trolls”—and how these affected the price of consumer goods. Even though I was no longer doing engineering, my real-world experience helped me understand how law and business interrelate. It was invaluable experience for anyone who might someday be in the government reforming those laws and regulatory regimes.

The common thread in all of this is that public servants who seek to reform economic systems come from a background of producing words, while the citizens who have to operate in these systems come from a background of producing things. Physicians and energy engineers innovate, and, like antibodies attacking a virus, regulators dive in and set boundaries and limits and establish “oversight.”