The mayor of Little Town, Ontario, calls me up, and says “Doug, I have a problem. I keep getting these phone calls about the intersection at Main and Bridge, with people complaining how awful it is. I can’t get any other work done. Can you fix the problem?”

As a confident design engineer, I say “Of course. I’ll send my Jr. Engineer over this afternoon with a pair of wire snips, and he’ll make sure you never get those pesky phone calls again.”

“Fuddle-duddling Engineers! NO! I have to get those phone calls so I know what the problems are that need to get fixed. It is the intersection I want fixed.”

“So, do you want me to fix the problem, or do you want me to fix the intersection?”

<Exasperated++ Sigh>”I want you to fix the problem by fixing the intersection”.

And now I’m brought to a fork in the road (as it were). I can either fix the intersection, in which case the problem will show up somewhere else and perhaps in another form. Or I can refuse the work, saying I can’t do what you’re asking. My wife will have very strong words for me for not bringing a paycheck home (again), so ultimately you know I have to say “Absolutely Mr. Mayor. I’m glad we all understand each other”.

I design the intersection improvements, get paid, and my wife doesn’t leave me; the mayor shows how he responded to the needs of the community and gets re-elected, ensuring his paltry 3 digit pension (I did say Little Town); the morning commute is made marginally better, and everyone’s taxes go up a little. The underlying problem of poor land-use planning and a me-first psychology is completely untouched, and it will just as likely show up as a symptom at the next intersection. Well, the people got what they asked for, even if it wasn’t what they needed. If they can’t make good use of it, it’s their own fault.