Back when I taught school, I was an evil taskmaster. Often, I wouldn’t award partial credit, explaining to my students that if they grow up to be engineers and design a bridge that doesn’t reach the other side of the river, it is about as good as no bridge at all.

The Haywood Community College performing arts center will cost $227,000 more than expected for the simple reason that the architect didn’t realize he would need a pump to build acceptable water pressure. The story makes the oversight sound rather stupid. After all, it jests, who would assume water runs uphill? But then, politicians always scored 100% on all their physics problems, and no doubt always take into consideration all economic variables up to the point of diminishing returns. That is why there is no such phrase as “unintended consequences.”