10/04/2007: "Feelings"

“If it feels good, do it”. This was a motto from the 60’s. This philosophy has worked its way insidiously into the politics of today. “Feeling good” about something has become the basis for much of the policy-making I have seen recently.

The Whale Watching law is a good example of this mindset. Never mind how much it costs or that the laws simply won’t work. High costs of enforcement were considered “a bargain” when measured against saving the whales. It did not matter that the presence of patrol boats with sirens and flashing lights may scare the crap out of the baby Orcas. And it will be a miracle if anyone is ever prosecuted for “knowingly” getting too close to one of these animals. The cost of a trial and the implications of proving that a violation did in fact occur were not really important. The important thing was how good it made everyone feel.

When feelings become the driving force for most policies there is no real need to examine anything intellectually. The untended consequences of laws are not considered. It doesn’t matter that policies don’t accomplish their intended goal.

We feel empathetic toward the whales, concerned and compassionate about the environment, benevolent towards those who need better housing opportunities. It doesn’t matter if the legislation costs too much or won’t work. At least it makes us feel good.

On the other hand, when people oppose a policy on the basis that it is not practical, costs too much, or it is irrelevant to our needs, they are mean nasty and miserly. Contrary opinions to “feel good” policies are always ignored and ridiculed.

While looking for something to do the council found an historic opportunity to save the planet from the certain looming destruction from global warming. They feel that this is the kindhearted thing to do and it proves they care about our local carbon footprint. Logic and reason have little to do with this policy. But at least they will feel good about saving the earth by switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and using biodiesel.

It felt really good to vote for an ordinance that solves the storm water crisis. It did not matter that they were actually subsidizing growth in urban areas at the expense of rural landowners. Never mind that the text was poorly conceived and creates an unfair tax. A committee came up with the basic ideas so the council did not really have to think hard about the implications or worry about crafting any language for it. It felt good to solve the problem once and for all so they did it. Now they are defending this inadequate piece of legislation because they feel strongly about their original decision.

When decisions are made on the basis of feeling good we are not going to solve the specific difficult problems we are faced with. It takes hard thinking to solve these problems. It may not feel good but it’s the only way to get real solutions.