Life and The Worst Possible Outcome (WPO)

"Folks in Nebraska, like folks all across the country, aren't going to say to themselves, 'We're going to take a few thousand jobs if it means our kids are potentially drinking water that would damage their health." So said Mr. Obama in Omaha recently as the government officially put on hold the Keystone XL project, a pipeline program that would send Canadian oil to the United States for refining. The Canadian Prime minister said that, absent the pipeline, the Canadian oil would be sent to Asia.

This is a significant moment in a number of ways. At least 20,00 good, high paying jobs, direct and indirect, hinged on the building of the pipeline. Oil from a friendly nation now goes elsewhere. One wag said this shows the administration is not friendly towards unions but is friendly only towards public sector unions.

But there is a bigger problem here that is consistent throughout our society. It appears in Marcellus shale, smallpox, Gulf of Mexico oil rigs, food production, nuclear power plants--it is the fear of "The Worst Possible Outcome." The WPO. Rather than a challenge to be met, problems to be overcome, difficulties to manage, our culture looks at a possible project and sees the WPO. Unless we can be assured the WPO will not occur, we stop cold.

This, of course, is contrary to all aspects of life except government. Who would get pregnant? Who would build a house or buy one? Who would cross a bridge, fly in a plane, drive through a tunnel? Indeed who would leave their house? If every decision was made through the lens of the WPO no one would do anything. We would live the risk less life of algae.