Whoops, didn't see that coming!

I'm not real big on over-regulation and bureaucracy, especially when said regulation is rooted in pragmatism and short-term appeasement of some advocacy group's gripe. That's why I was pleased when I came across this interesting and well written column from the Freakonomics blog back in January examining the unintended negative consequences of several well intentioned laws.

Here are a couple of gems:

"...when the A.D.A. was enacted in 1992, it led to a sharp drop in the employment of disabled workers."

and

"...economists make the argument for 'the distinct possibility that the Endangered Species Act is actually endangering, rather than protecting, species.'"

I recommend you read the column. It's pretty short and doesn't really assign any blame, it just explores a little bit.