Andrew, Jonah, Ramesh: In scrutinizing this kind of legislative proposal,
we should keep a keen look-out for statements by politicians and sympathetic
pundits that such and such a measure ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT LEAD TO such and
such an undesirable consequence. When you hear it said that legislative
proposal (A) ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT LEAD TO undesirable consequence (B), you
should immediately contact your local bookmaker and place a $1,000 bet that
(A) will, in fact, lead to (B), and probably in short order. The judiciary
will see to that! Recall, for instance, Hubert Hunphrey’s assurance, at the
time of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, that it ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT LEAD TO race
quotas and preferences. (I think he actually promised to eat the
legislation if it did.)