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No simple fixes to complex problems

I don’t think I can solve all of the world’s problems, yet I feel like I should point out a few things, from time to time, that are just not right. I do this to create clarity and deny obfuscation (and it makes me feel like I am contributing to society).

Obfuscation, short-term thinking, and obliviots all get under my skin and give me a rash. Only my dermatologist is happy about this.

Obfuscation is a lovely word, as its’ meaning is unknown to many, and those who use it would like it to stay that way. Here is a definition from TheFreeDictionary.com :

obfuscation
the process of darkening or obscuring so as to hinder ready analysis.

I understand that there might be a purpose for obfuscation in the “intelligence” community – the good guys want to make it hard for the bad guys to figure out their secrets. Pretty much everywhere else it interrupts the flow of information and commerce to the detriment of us all.

The political system in the U.S. is built on obfuscation. It is necessary to blot out the truth in order to make the world easy enough for voters to understand in short sound bytes. It is also much easier to convince people that your path should be followed if it leads in a straight line from the problem to the solution. Sometimes the world is that simple, but usually it is not.

Take automotive safety as an example. Ralph Nader eloquently pointed out in the 1960s that certain automotive features (or lack of features) killed drivers in accidents. Magically all of these problems were addressed, and…nothing changed – people still die in car accidents. Yes, there is debate about the relative number of deaths, but the changes that were meant to prevent death in traffic accidents had other consequences that wiped out some (or all) of the benefits. There are no simple fixes to complex problems.

I would rather have our leaders tell us that, and have the media accept that, than have every issue ground into easily swallowed pablum.

No one knows how to end the current economic crisis in the U.S., even if they tell us they do. I bet no one even knows what the “end” will be (Free flowing mortgage money? Increased home prices? Zero unemployment?)

So let our new President and his team try a few things without rushing to judgment (this is where short-term thinking is a problem). Look at what the inputs do to the system. Let people react for a while. Let the government admit mistakes. And don’t fault them for trying.