The Law of Unintended Consequences

Here is a guy who has the best explanation for how the law of unintended consequences operates, especially in how that deals with government regulation.

His last sentence explains why we have so many problems today:

Does the law of unintended consequences mean that the government should never try to regulate complex systems? No, of course not, but it does mean that regulators should be humble (no trying to remake man and society) and the hurdle for regulation should be high.

The issue we have is that our politicians today have NO HUMILITY at all. They think they know it all and treat the common with disdain. Secondly, since many of the current politicians were alive and active in the 1960's, they have a world-view that makes them think they already fundamentally changed society. (I personally believe society was already evolving. The action of the 60's may have sped up the process by 5-10 years, and the turmoil they caused was just the friction of making something move faster than it was intended to go). Because they think they did it once, they think they can do it again. Finally, there is no high hurdle for when to regulate. If any Sally, Jane, or Louise whines, then the politicians think they need fix a problem.