Trade-offs

One concept that seems to be lacking in politics is real discussion about trade-offs. Doing one things causes other things to happen. Raising the minimum wage has consequences. Denying them does nothing. Trying to figure them out and weighing them in a cost-benefit framework is wholly reasonable.

A good example is a ballot initiative recently passed in Nevada. It bans smoking in food-serving establishments (I believe with the exception of casinos). The intended result: less smoking and healthy people. The poo-pooed result: some places will do that. Others will close their kitchens and lay off staff. That's what this establishment is doing, with 40-50 employees losing their jobs between two locations.

Repeated at a larger scale, is it worth it? That's a real (though ideologically oft' inconvinient) question that ptople in government would do well to consider.