NY Times points out policy makers incompetence

"When It's Cold Inside" NY Times December 27, 2009

Yes, policy makers were caught unprepared. But before we send out lightening bolts to strike them down, let's find a bit of compassion for their job.

The economics of our country is very complex. The interactions, feedback loops, individual unique reactions and preferences, unintended consequences of rules, regulations and policy all create a complex matrix that cannot be modeled or predicted.

Stephen Wolfram, in his book, "A New Kind of Science" shows how the outcome of simple rules can creates systems that cannot be predicted. Complex adaptive systems, such as energy, which are thousands of times more complex than the systems Wolfram works with simply cannot be modeled or controlled for an outcome.

What is amazing to me is that the NY Times editorials wax eloquent time after time about failures of government and still promote the solution of more and better government.

The ability of governments to manage, predict and create outcomes for the "good of the whole" are just not possible.

I predict, NY Times will publish editorial after editorial about the failure of the health care plan once implemented. The solution will be more and better government and the cycle will continue.

If energy systems, health care systems, and larger economic systems are too complex to manage and predict, what is the alternative?

Simplex rules that allow complex interactive systems to flourish, grow, evolve and change. But this requires letting go of control, which most people are not willing to do.

in reference to:

"The surge has caught policy makers unprepared."
- Editorial - When It’s Cold Inside - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)