Unintended Consequences

THE BUSH administration is ignoring reports from its own agencies that say every coastal city in America - from New York to Los Angeles - could become a New Orleans within a generation or two. The flooding, storm damage, death toll and economic ruin we are seeing in the Crescent City could become an annual occurrence in some other U.S. city spread across some other American coastline. Why? Because of the phenomenon known as the "law of unintended consequences." In Louisiana, we built huge levees that for centuries kept the lower Mississippi River from flooding.

When the General Assembly passed the Maryland Dream Act, lawmakers intended to allow certain students who are undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at the state's colleges and universities. It was a recognition that these young people represented an asset to the state to be cultivated, not a threat. But the law contained an unintended consequence no one seems to have noticed at the time, and the result has been that rather than lowering college tuition costs for these young people, some of them are now paying more for their educations.

While the concept of a large scale wind farm off the coast of Ocean City is an ambitious and inviting project, our state representatives and citizens need to seriously consider any unintended negative effects before committing to such an endeavor. First of all it is important to address any concerns about the safety of our migratory birds in the flyway off our coast. Wind turbines have been responsible for bird strikes, and we must be sure we continue to ensure their safety. Having attended the Wind Vision Conference on December 4th, I was very encouraged when guest speaker Robert Mitchell, the CEO of Trans Atlantic Development Company, stated that in order to protect all migratory birds and other marine life, the wind farm has to be at least 15 miles offshore.

The personal injury lawyers' bar likes to try to divide the personal injury systems of the 50 United States into two different buckets — contributory negligence and comparative fault — and then make up hypothetical cases to try to portray Maryland's contributory negligence rule as unfair or antiquated. The fact is that in the 50 states, there are 50 different liability systems. The common-sense rule in Maryland is the contributory negligence rule: that if a person contributes to his or her injury, he or she cannot recover damages for that injury.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Maybe it was all the candidates who had never run for anything before, but the vote for governor of a state of 35 million people felt like a local election. Eventual winner Arnold Schwarzenegger and candidate Arianna Huffington both live in Brentwood, which is adjacent to Santa Monica, and it was as if the Brentwood PTA had said, "Let's run two members for school board." But somehow there was a mix-up and they were on the ballot for governor. As became apparent in the one debate in which Mr. Schwarzenegger participated, both he and Ms. Huffington, two immigrants, had assimilated American culture so well that they had internalized the personalities of two high school archetypes - the "jock" and the "brain" - who in this case were locked in a bitter struggle for class president.

To paraphrase Donald H. Rumsfeld, there are things that we know we know, and things that we know we don't know. But a third category keeps cropping up: things that we think we know, but don't really. A recent case in point involves smoking, obesity and health care costs. Smokers and the obese are a drain on the health system because they require more medical care - right? Wrong, according to a Dutch study published online last week in the Public Library of Science Medical Journal. Healthy people tend to live longer, and as a result they consume more goods and services (including health care resources)

Today is the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court's infamous 1857 decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which paved the way for the Civil War. One elite New York City high school is requiring its advanced American history students to read the multiple opinions written by the Dred Scott justices. If there is a better way to keep students from learning what happened in the Dred Scott case, I can't think of one. The ruling is an incomprehensible mess, a hodgepodge of pro-slave-state racist sentiment dressed up as legal opinion.

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State James A. Baker III said yesterday that the Soviet Union would court "unintended consequences" if it responded to internal chaos by strengthening the hands of its military and secret police."

Ray Bradbury once wrote a short story about a time traveler who inadvertently steps on and kills a single butterfly, forever altering the course of human evolution. At Marvel Comics, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko once did a story where a time machine hurtling through the eons collides with the first creature to crawl out of the sea onto land, knocking it back into the water and causing a ripple effect that leaves Earth a lot more reptilian than we'd find comfortable. The Butterfly Effect follows a similar path, ruminating on the unintended consequences of traveling back in time and re-crafting the past.

Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. warned yesterday against "unintended consequences" of efforts to tax hedge funds and buyout firms. At a conference organized by The Wall Street Journal in New York, he also said Congress shouldn't punish Blackstone Group LP with higher taxes because it became a publicly traded partnership. Senate legislation would force Blackstone to pay taxes at corporate rates of 35 percent instead of as a partnership, with a burden as low as 15 percent. Paulson said other industries use the partnership model, noting real estate and construction.

While the concept of a large scale wind farm off the coast of Ocean City is an ambitious and inviting project, our state representatives and citizens need to seriously consider any unintended negative effects before committing to such an endeavor. First of all it is important to address any concerns about the safety of our migratory birds in the flyway off our coast. Wind turbines have been responsible for bird strikes, and we must be sure we continue to ensure their safety. Having attended the Wind Vision Conference on December 4th, I was very encouraged when guest speaker Robert Mitchell, the CEO of Trans Atlantic Development Company, stated that in order to protect all migratory birds and other marine life, the wind farm has to be at least 15 miles offshore.

With Sunday's historic vote in the House of Representatives, the Democrats have succeeded in making serfs of us all. Having added $2 trillion to the debt in a single year, the administration pushed through a massive new entitlement program that undoubtedly will add trillions more. Just as the medieval population labored to support their feudal masters, so too we increasingly labor to support an all-encompassing federal government. The size of the new federal entitlement and its implications for fiscal policy will have significant ramifications.

W ith Sunday's historic vote in the House of Representatives, the Democrats have succeeded in making serfs of us all. Having added $2 trillion to the debt in a single year, the administration pushed through a massive new entitlement program that undoubtedly will add trillions more. Just as the medieval population labored to support their feudal masters, so too we increasingly labor to support an all-encompassing federal government. The size of the new federal entitlement and its implications for fiscal policy will have significant ramifications.

The University of Maryland said Thursday it should not be bound by a new NCAA rule subjecting offensive coordinator James Franklin -- coach Ralph Friedgen's designated successor -- to the same recruiting restrictions as a head coach. The rule is designed to ensure that assistant coaches who have been named "head-coach-in-waiting" don't enjoy recruiting advantages over those who have not, according to an NCAA legislative manual. Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow said Maryland and Texas -- which has named defensive coordinator Will Muschamp to succeed Mack Brown -- are joining to combat the rule.

Do I have to explain everything around here? Is it that difficult to tell the difference between, say, the sofa where you sit to watch your "Judge Judy" episodes and a bench in a real courtroom where an actual trial is going on? Hint: One is harder; consult the part of your anatomy that might have a clue. Or to distinguish between how you may behave at, say, an "American Idol" viewing party and an official proceeding where a serious matter will be decided by the rules of law and not on whose side gets more audience approval?

When the Obama administration unveiled plans to spend $75 billion to help homeowners modify costly mortgages, many Americans struggling to pay their loans felt relief was on its way. But to financial regulators in Maryland, the president's announcement in February invited help of a different kind - solicitations to negotiate new loan terms for a fee. And that spelled trouble. Officials at the Maryland Department of Licensing and Regulation had reason to worry; they'd been working on a slew of cases in which homeowners had paid hefty fees to loan counselors and received nothing in return.

To paraphrase Donald H. Rumsfeld, there are things that we know we know, and things that we know we don't know. But a third category keeps cropping up: things that we think we know, but don't really. A recent case in point involves smoking, obesity and health care costs. Smokers and the obese are a drain on the health system because they require more medical care - right? Wrong, according to a Dutch study published online last week in the Public Library of Science Medical Journal. Healthy people tend to live longer, and as a result they consume more goods and services (including health care resources)