Guest Post: Intentions Versus Results

Intentions Versus Results

Colonel Donald J. Myers USMC (Ret)

Since Monday, the media has been non stop about the attack at the Boston marathon race. Anybody and everybody who could possibly have an opinion about the event and what occurred has been on TV. "Breaking News" occurs every half hour with nothing but what was reported the previous half hour. I have my own opinions about the entire affair, but I'll wait until the dust clears. You have already been exposed to enough opinions to last a lifetime.

As I reach my twilight years, I think back about all of the good intentions that our elected officials have given us. The old cliché, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions" must have had our Congress in mind when it was coined. Just think about all the wonderful laws and regulations that have been passed over the past decades.

President Johnson started the "War on Poverty" in the 60's and we have spent trillions of dollars since then. The black family has been destroyed and the white family is not far behind in its destruction because of it. Meanwhile, the percentage of poor has not decreased, but the percentage of dependents on government assistance has soared.

"Head Start" was implemented to give poor children the opportunity to be ready to start school and not be behind because of poor family support. Studies have shown that by the third grade there is no difference between those who were in head start and those who were not. Again, millions have been spent with the greatest of intentions, but no concern for results.

We now have toilets that are restricted to the amount of water for each flush. Guess what? Now in many cases it takes several flushes to rid the commode of the waste. Saving water has not occurred. We also have new light bulbs that cost significantly more because of government fiat. Sadly, the ingredients in the new bulbs require special attention if one of them breaks. Your home now become a Hazmat. In addition, the new bulbs are being produced in China.

A large percentage of our corn crop is now being used to create ethanol and the resultant increase in food prices has been astronomical since animals feed on corn products and there is less corn for human consumption. Could Iowa being the first state in the presidential election cycle have any effect on that decision? You be the judge.

In an effort to increase the "Tooth to Tail" in the military many of the normal tasks have been civilianized such as food, mail, and transportation. As a result, costs have soared and the military has less control especially in a combat zone.

The latest and most expensive fiasco by the government is ObamaCare. This was supposed to cover everyone in the country and be cheaper. We learn more about how bad this law is nearly every day. You will not be able to keep your doctor or health care. There will be rationing of care and it will be more expensive. We already know this and it has not been fully implemented.

These are just a few of the many events that our government has placed itself into our lives all with good intentions, but at no time does it ever rethink what it did and back off. What normally happens is additional laws are introduced to correct what it screwed up. The bottom line is that we need less government not more.