what politicians need to do when they hear things from economists is ask a simple question:

do you have any actual data?

if you're a policy maker at any level, please heed this critique from a self-described failed mathematician: the theory is useless. if it hasn't been proven wrong yet, it's a matter of time.

when they tell you there are trade-offs, correlations or relationships, be skeptical.

ask for and look exclusively at data - when they make claims, tell them you want empirical proof, not a mathematical one.

and, if they get iffy, or tell you they can't do the experiment, take it for what it actually is: a wild, speculative guess.