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Intentions or Results?

Intentions or Results?

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Harry Guerrilla

Harry Guerrilla

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When a policy or program is proposed, do you focus on the intentions or the results?

Intentions being, what the policy or program aims to do.
Results being, what the policy or program actually does, in relation to the stated intentions.

How often do you follow up, checking the results, of programs and policies that you support?
 
I generally look at both. If the intention is something I agree with, I then look at how they plan on making it happen. I've been known to vote against a program that had very good intentions but was poorly planned and would have ultimately failed for a variety of reasons, the most important being how it would be financed in the long run.
 
Both, and they are equally important, for example my government is introducing a carbon tax, I agree with the lowering emissions, but disagree with the method the dickheads are using.
 
Bruce said:
Both, and they are equally important, for example my government is introducing a carbon tax, I agree with the lowering emissions, but disagree with the method the dickheads are using.
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I hope the Australian Government starts taxing Bad Jokes.

The end can't justify the means.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
When a policy or program is proposed, do you focus on the intentions or the results?

Intentions being, what the policy or program aims to do.
Results being, what the policy or program actually does, in relation to the stated intentions.

How often do you follow up, checking the results, of programs and policies that you support?
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I would think most people look at what a policy can do for them. Everyone should be looking at the results of a program or policy and if the results arent what was intended get rid of it. We have too many that we keep paying for that show no worthwhile results
 
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Harry Guerrilla said:
When a policy or program is proposed, do you focus on the intentions or the results?

Intentions being, what the policy or program aims to do.
Results being, what the policy or program actually does, in relation to the stated intentions.

How often do you follow up, checking the results, of programs and policies that you support?
Click to expand...

Results as much as possible. There are times when something can have poor intention but end up with good results or cases where the opposite happens.

However, I make a distinction between my intent and the intent of whoever proposed whatever policy and generally tend to only care about what I think is best.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
When a policy or program is proposed, do you focus on the intentions or the results?

Intentions being, what the policy or program aims to do.
Results being, what the policy or program actually does, in relation to the stated intentions.

How often do you follow up, checking the results, of programs and policies that you support?
Click to expand...

What's the old saw? "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." We must learn to focus on results within government. And we must come to the realization that what Congress says it's trying to accomplish and what Congress actually passes are very often two entirely different things. Sleight of hand isn't just for the Vegas stage.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The historic $38 billion in budget cuts resulting from at-times hostile bargaining between Congress and the Obama White House were accomplished in large part by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand and going after programs President Barack Obama had targeted anyway.
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My Way News - Budget tricks helped Obama save programs from cuts

The Congressional Budget Office estimate shows that the spending bill due for a House vote today would cut just $352 million from the deficit through Sept. 30. About $8 billion in cuts to domestic programs and foreign aid by then are offset by nearly equal increases in defense spending.”
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First Read - Congress: When $38 billion becomes $350 million
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
When a policy or program is proposed, do you focus on the intentions or the results?

Intentions being, what the policy or program aims to do.
Results being, what the policy or program actually does, in relation to the stated intentions.

How often do you follow up, checking the results, of programs and policies that you support?
Click to expand...

Both. If a policy is based on bad intentions, then we have a problem. If a policy is based on good intentions but has zero practical application, then we have a problem.

How often do I follow up? I don't think I ever check on programs specifically - I think most people tend to inadvertently check up on the results of their programs simply by reading the news or going on Wikipedia.
 
I think the results are what was intended. The stated intentions are what are usually called bull****. I don't think the politicians and bureaucrats in Washington are that stupid but they are that crooked. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did exactly what Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd planned on them doing. Oh, and they're still doing it.
 
Always on the results. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but intentions don't mean a damn thing. Unless the policy actually achieves it's aims, it's a failure and I'm tired of failures in government. It's great that you want to achieve a goal, it only counts if you actually do.
 
False dichotomy. Good and true intentions often bring results both immediate and far reaching. If you are lacking results, your intentions and/or expectations are at fault; review and revise them.
 
there are a lot of un-intended results from good intentions, results are more important because intentions can be very partisan and be up to opinion.
 
SE102 said:
I hate to be the first smartass to bring it up... but.
We don't know the results until after it's happened. :shrug:
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He's talking about what is most important to you, not whether they are mutually exclusive.
 
You can't have a result without intention, so in that respect, I'd say intention is more important. However, the fact of the matter is the result is the real-world application of whatever you wanted to do, and if it isn't up to scruff, then too bad.
 
SE102 said:
I hate to be the first smartass to bring it up... but.
We don't know the results until after it's happened. :shrug:
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There are plenty of resources to draw upon to get a good idea of what the results would be.

Also, with policies and programs that were implemented prior to your existence, you can still chose one of the other after the fact.
 
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The intentions are the most important. Just because the first results are a failure is no reason not to implement plan 'B'.
 
MaggieD said:
What's the old saw? "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." We must learn to focus on results within government. And we must come to the realization that what Congress says it's trying to accomplish and what Congress actually passes are very often two entirely different things. Sleight of hand isn't just for the Vegas stage.

My Way News - Budget tricks helped Obama save programs from cuts

First Read - Congress: When $38 billion becomes $350 million
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$350 million. Almost the exact amount defunding PP would have saved annually and it was called a drop in the bucket.
Obama called these cuts "historical" :(
Will we ever get our house in order?
 
I'll used education as an example. We throw money at it and the results suck even though intentions are good.
So whenever there is talk of throwing even more money at it, (with good intentions) the results will probably suck again.
Results are all that matters.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
When a policy or program is proposed, do you focus on the intentions or the results?

Intentions being, what the policy or program aims to do.
Results being, what the policy or program actually does, in relation to the stated intentions.

How often do you follow up, checking the results, of programs and policies that you support?
Click to expand...

Mostly the results. However, if the intention is something that I don't agree with, then I'm not going to support it regardless of the results. In fact, programs that are very effective at achieving bad goals are probably the worst programs of all.
 
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Mickey Shane said:
The intentions are the most important. Just because the first results are a failure is no reason not to implement plan 'B'.
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Barbbtx said:
I'll used education as an example. We throw money at it and the results suck even though intentions are good.
So whenever there is talk of throwing even more money at it, (with good intentions) the results will probably suck again.
Results are all that matters.
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Doing the same thing again and again, and expecting different results = ?
 
You have to think about the likely results of a proposal. Even if the intentions are great, if there are likely to be unwanted side effects, or if the legislation is probably over- or underinclusive, you have a program.

That said, it's not like its all that easy to "check up" on the results of a lot of proposals. I don't think very many people have actual access to the data that would be required to make a fair assessment. Most of the time when people talk about the "results" of certain things they are just talking out their **s about programs they dislike in principle.
 
Krhazy said:
You have to think about the likely results of a proposal. Even if the intentions are great, if there are likely to be unwanted side effects, or if the legislation is probably over- or underinclusive, you have a program.

That said, it's not like its all that easy to "check up" on the results of a lot of proposals. I don't think very many people have actual access to the data that would be required to make a fair assessment. Most of the time when people talk about the "results" of certain things they are just talking out their **s about programs they dislike in principle.
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It's usually pretty easy to find verifiable "result" information about programs.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
When a policy or program is proposed, do you focus on the intentions or the results?

Intentions being, what the policy or program aims to do.
Results being, what the policy or program actually does, in relation to the stated intentions.

How often do you follow up, checking the results, of programs and policies that you support?
Click to expand...


The first thing the Mayor looks at is the Constitution. Most programs proposed aren't allowed, hence the intentions and the results are not relevant.

Then, in the very few cases where proposal is Constitutional, then the real intentions, not the stated intentions, must be determined, and the results are usually bad, anyway.
 
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