> all it means is the speaker hasn't done a true cost-benefit analysis that includes anything beyond their immediate concerns. I feel like I say this a lot on

> all it means is the speaker hasn't done a true cost-benefit analysis that includes anything beyond their immediate concerns. I feel like I say this a lot on HN, but there seems to be an attitude among political folk in the last 20-25 years that intent is more important than effect. The effect can be a complete disaster but the politicos expect the public to appreciate their intention to help and to not question the effect. I am a pragmatist, so I don’t care about intention, only the effect, and in the case of the US specifically, the effect of the federal government and medical establishment response at every point in this pandemic has been a disaster. I honestly cannot point to one thing that wasn’t a total clusterfuck.