Unintended Consequences

Troy notes that sometimes, well intentioned acts go badly awry - the new consumer safety law might end up shuttering library access for kids:

It seems that Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, apparently in response to the lead scare from China, and it's causing some problems for libraries and (possibly) bookstores. Printers' ink contains lead. Products for children under 12 have to be tested and certified as having a safe lead content.

I have a friend who's involved with the girl scouts, and worries over this are running rampant through the craft people who work with the scouts.

This isn't only a government problem - I hear about companies blocking things like IM "to prevent the spread of viruses" all the time. I wonder how many times they consider how much customer and prospect communication gets whacked as a side effect of the well intentioned screening?

In business and in government, it's helpful to examine baseline assumptions and downstream impacts before taking action.