[pjlegato]

Advocates for the reverse ought to bear in mind that however noble the goal of avoiding harm to individuals in the short term may be, the harm done to individuals in the long term is even more massive, and then much harder to fix.

Two case in point examples: Prop 13, and rent control.

These are not, as popularly concieved, great ways to protect the poor and disadvantaged. They are simply examples of very short term thinking becoming public policy, which has the unintended and paradoxical effect of harming the poor and disadvantaged much more in the long run.

[beatpanda]

Right, and I agree with you, but the fact that it would be better not to have them in the long run doesn't do anything about the short term harm of thousands of people losing their homes all at once. "It will be better for everyone in the aggregate, eventually" doesn't do anything for someone who just became homeless.

What I'm saying is, if you want this policy, start thinking of ways you could change it while accounting for the harm that changing it would do.

[deelowe]

Sometimes the only way to fix systemic issues is via strategic planning.