A Parable About Regulation?
Rdan over at Angry Bear
posts a great joke that was new to me. It goes as follows:
A man tries on a made-to-order suit and says to the tailor, "I need this sleeve taken in! It's two inches too long!"
The tailor says, "No, just bend your elbow like this. See, it pulls up the sleeve."
The man says, "Well, okay, but now look at the collar! When I bend my elbow, the collar goes halfway up the back of my head."
The tailor says, "So? Raise your head up and back. Perfect."
The man says, "But now the left shoulder is three inches lower than the right one!"
The tailor says, "No problem. Bend at the waist way over to the left and it evens out."
The man leaves the store wearing the suit, his right elbow cooked and sticking out, his head up and back, all the while leaning down to the left. The only way he can walk is with a herky-jerky spastic gait.
Just then two passersby notice him.
Says the first, "Look at that poor crippled guy. My heart goes out to him."
Says the second, "Yeah, but his tailor must be a genius! That suit fits him perfectly!"
It seems to me this is a perfect description of how regulations accrete and what the impact is. I am sure that is not how Rdan sees it, knowing his blog.
It also seems to me I need to find a copy of "Plato and a Platypus walk into a bar".
Labels: jokes, regulation
The New US DoT Rules - Three Hours on the Tarmac
The government got all the publicity I suspect it wanted yesterday
for this apparent defence of 'passengers' rights'.
Distrusting knee-jerk regulations, I admit I was skeptical, but have not through all the implications, any of them in fact.
Libertarian
Jeff Miron has started, and I rather agree with his first stab at it.
Without the rule, some planes that have been sitting for three hours leave soon after the three-hour point, while some sit on the tarmac for an extended, additional period.
The planes in the first category arrive at their destinations even later, becuase it takes time to get passengers off and back on the plance, and because the plane ends up at the back of the line for takeoffs. Worse, some of these flights get cancelled.
So, sometimes the rule benefits passengers, sometimes it makes them worse off.
Does the Department of Transportation have any evidence that the welfare of passengers is higher, on average, under the rule?
No. It has just pandered to customer annoyance and the press coverage of a few extreme incidents. It has responded to what is seen (the long delays that occur without the rule) and ignored what is unseen (the canceled flights and delays that will result from the rule).
I once sat for six hours on the tarmac in Toronto for a flight to Chicago, under a two-hour flight away. I am glad we stayed out there - I got to my ultimate destination late, but likely would have been much later if we had been discharged twice and re-loaded. It helps to come prepared - carry some books or other entertainment.
UPDATE: Written after the above. King Banaian notes that there IS a cost-benefit analysis but is clearly
not very impressed by it, and considers some unintended consequences.
Labels: regulation
A Lesson That Keeps Giving
When the gubmnt decides to ban something, and reasonably makes an exception for private clubs, it is amazing what institutions can become private clubs.
(This bistro is announcing to potential customers that it is now a private club and so can allow smoking, and that it is really easy to become a member, so come on in!)
Labels: private clubs, regulation, smoking
