Dan Tobias wrote:
I think a lot of what is wrong in the world in
general is the result
of people (including legislatures) constantly feeling like they need
to "do something about" whatever issue or problem people are getting
into a big fuss about at the moment... even doing something
completely ridiculous, or counterproductive, or actively harmful,
is seen as better than doing nothing.
It's called Politician's Logic:
1. We must do something.
2. This is something.
3. Therefore, we must do this.
[This formulation, or something very much like it, comes from
[[Yes, Prime Minister]], written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn.]
The Politician's Syllogism, which (as Jay and Lynn note) has been
responsible for such great moments in British foreign policy as the
[[Munich Agreement]] and the [[Suez Crisis]]...