tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post5913232181355889020..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Unplanned Consequences of Central Planning Gus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-3688138708808171842014-11-21T06:04:00.242-06:002014-11-21T06:04:00.242-06:00Vigilis,
That's an interesting question, but ...Vigilis,<br /><br />That's an interesting question, but one that must be asked carefully (and within the context of the question, "What is government for?"), since isolated examples of well-run government outfits and poorly-run private businesses can be found.<br /><br />GusGus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-57143724425063197902014-11-20T12:45:44.869-06:002014-11-20T12:45:44.869-06:00Gus, I would add just one more question to your &q...Gus, I would add just one more question to your "How many "unintended consequences" does it take before I should begin to wonder what it is you intend to do?"<br /><br />How well has federal government managed quality in its most efficiently run bureaucracy versus a dividend-paying corporation with equivalent total annual expense?<br /><br />Lets make the comparison even easier --- How well does federal government manage quality in its most efficiently run national park compared to your state's most frequented park on the basis of annual cost per visitor (not counting any trespassers and transients whose litter obviously tends to diminish quality)? <br /><br /><br /><br />Vigilishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05051789616490005367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-35823405250668194792014-11-19T16:12:05.425-06:002014-11-19T16:12:05.425-06:00C.,
Yes. Your phrase covers the whole gamut, from...C.,<br /><br />Yes. Your phrase covers the whole gamut, from short-sightedness by a man-on-the-street advocate of some measure or other, all the way to the deliberate malice of Gruber or an Obama.<br /><br />GusGus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-70264726985937615472014-11-19T12:25:47.164-06:002014-11-19T12:25:47.164-06:00Hi Gus,
I've always been partial to describi...Hi Gus, <br /><br />I've always been partial to describing them as unacknowledged consequences. As Steve points out, they know the outcomes - and in most cases, as Gruber's intermittent spasms of honesty have illustrated, that negative outcome is the point for which they were in fact striving. <br /><br />"Unintended Consequences" is the Left's form of "Plausible Deniability." Of course the Right uses it as well, but for them it is occasional - eg., The War on Drugs. For the Left, it's Standard Operating Procedure. <br /><br />So you're right that it's high time we stopped giving them the moral benefit of the doubt the phrase invokes - that these are errors of ignorance - and come down four square on the point that they are motivated by malice and that their foreseen but unspoken ends are evil.<br /><br />c. andrewAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-67177612401066097932014-11-19T11:05:40.253-06:002014-11-19T11:05:40.253-06:00John and Steve,
Your two comments together show m...John and Steve,<br /><br />Your two comments together show me that I was STILL being too easy on advocates of central planning. Thanks for speaking up.<br /><br />GusGus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-33762081755314346412014-11-19T08:56:05.382-06:002014-11-19T08:56:05.382-06:00Or maybe 'unspoken consequences' (to highl...Or maybe 'unspoken consequences' (to highlight the dishonesty), since I'm sure that in some cases they are not just intended, but the entire point of the law. It's all about power.Steve Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-37417204847416421562014-11-19T07:07:48.164-06:002014-11-19T07:07:48.164-06:00You're right, Gus. "Unplanned consequence...You're right, Gus. "Unplanned consequences" is much like "good intentions." At some point one cannot appeal to either as an excuse for not having looked at and predicted the likely consequences for actions, for not having thought about or considered the consequences.<br /><br />One cannot indefinitely hide behind "good intentions" ("I meant well.") or "unplanned consequences." At some point ignorance is no excuse, and claims of good intentions or good consequences impose an obligation of due diligence. Where the line is perhaps shows up after the fact in whether or not the actor(s) take responsibility for their actions and their "unplanned consequences."John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.com