There are many politicians and others, liberal, "moderate," and conservative, that take the position that if a particular legislative action or policy has failed, the people should judge them by their "good" intentions and not if the action or policy is successful. They will say that their "motives" were "good," That their "idea" was "good,"That their "belief" was "pure," no matter if the policy or action has caused hardships and difficulties for individuals. It is a way to excuse it all and not do much else. This often causes problems for society at large.
Here are some examples of politicians "good intentions:"
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In 1970, then-President Richard Nixon declared "A War On Drugs." By taking this course, Nixon and others believed that they could stop the supply of drugs from coming into the U.S. as well as decrease drug addiction which was a plauge then and now. After 39 years, the "War On Drugs" has been a failure. Nevertheless, there are still those today that say to continue it, it would be a "noble" thing to do.
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Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s, pushed for and got his "Great Society" programs through Congress. The intention was to help the downtrodden and also the poor. After 44 years, the "Great Society" programs have been a failure causing more poverty as well as causing the breakup of families particularly minority families. Still, there are those who say that these programs should continue because the intention of them were "good."
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George W. Bush, in 2001, called for and got the "No Child Left Behind" law. Bush believed that that law would improve public education. After 8 years of it, it has been a failure. Nevertheless, the intentions were "good" and "sincere."
Politicians and others never let go of failed policies, laws and programs even when you have shown them to be detrimental to society. Some of these people stay in denial all their lives. Some just do not want to discuss them at all. Others allow their philosophy to blind them. Whichever is the case, one thing is for sure: You can have all of the best intentions in the world, however one has to be careful that these intentions do not lead a country or a people on a path to hell.