Proposals for reform are often dismissed because they have no “realistic” chance of being adopted. But none of the major reforms of the past had any realistic chance of being adopted when they were first proposed.
Thomas Sowell
March 6, 1999
THOMAS SOWELL: Back again – random thoughts
[This is my justification for reiterating that those who attempt to deny people their right to keep and bear arms should be prosecuted. To that end I have created these links for quick and easy access for everyone to use: http://bit.ly/EnjoyYourTrial1 and http://bit.ly/EnjoyYourTrial2.—Joe]
I’ve found that those who say, “It has no realistic chance” are engaging in wishful thinking. They’re trying to nip the idea in the bud, before it grows. These are generally the kind of people who love the process, or the status quo, and therefore eschew, or are terrified of, solutions. The Parisees of old are a good example. A current example is The Swamp.
In fact, the “chances of adoption” are none of your business, and thus none of your time or resources should be wasted considering them. An idea is to be promoted, with all fervor and devotion, because it is right and good, and for that reason alone. Come what may. Sowell of course is saying the same thing.
One might even conclude that the “chances of adoption” are inversely proportional to the amount of consideration you give to them.
In other words; the more you fuss over your chances of the idea being accepted, the less likely it is to be accepted. This of course defines the Republican Party, which can’t blow its nose without first submitting the idea (with apologies) to a focus group. It also reminds me of the NRA.
You can readily spot an individual or group which is obsessed with “the chances of success” because they all look, act and sound exactly the same. The first and best thing you can do when confronted with such a person or group is to ignore them and move on. They aren’t worth spit.