In one of his brilliant books, Thomas Sowell explained how Stage One Thinking often leads to major problems. One of the top reviews of this book was written by Jason Cohen. Here’s a portion of it:

Sowell’s main thesis is that political decision-makers, which include both politicians, administrative agencies, and large government bureaucracies, often are rewarded for what he calls “stage one” thinking. In other words, because a politician’s main objective is to get re-elected, policies which are popular and appear to, or do, have short-term benefits are often pursued without regard to the policy’s long-term consequences. Ultimately, the politician will not be rewarded for the benefits that accrue in 10 or 20 years from the superior policy, but may be voted out of office for his unpopular stance.

A recent case in point can be found in Victoria, BC: Suspected gang member believed to be recruiting near schools: Victoria police chief:

A suspected gang member believed to be recruiting in local schools was recently arrested by Victoria police, Chief Del Manak told the Greater Victoria School Board on Monday.

“This is just one person of many who we have observed, and we continue to work on targeting these activities.”

Manak’s comments came as he renewed his call for reinstatement of the school-liaison officer program that previously brought police to district schools, saying he is ready to commit officers to the effort.

The board voted unanimously last year to cut the liaison program, citing concern for Black and Indigenous students who might not feel comfortable with a police presence.