In my last post, I discussed my ignorance of many of the people on the Forbes list of top 100 celebrities, as measured by their income and media exposure. As far as I can tell, only four of the 100 people are political leaders or commentators (in the sense that such activities are their primary claim to fame): Bill Clinton, Rush Limbaugh, Barbara Walters, and Alan Greenspan. And Clinton's fame is partly due to his sex scandals.

This provides additional evidence that most people don't find politics as interesting as pop culture, sports, and other forms of entertainment. Indeed, there are almost as many Formula One race car drivers (2) and cooking gurus (2-3, I think) on the list as political figures (4). Why are people rationally ignorant about politics? In part because it's more fun for them to pay attention to other things.

Finally, I have to take my hat off to Alan Greenspan. Not only is he one of just four political figures on the list. He also made it despite the fact that his main claim to fame was a job that the average man in the street doesn't have the slightest understanding of. Moreover, Greenspan certainly didn't make it on the basis of good looks or charisma. Last, but by no means least, Greenspan is a libertarian and a one-time member of Ayn Rand's inner circle. Alan Greenspan: giving hope to libertarian public policy nerds everywhere.