Woodworking again: Unintentional consequences make trouble

By Dave Wood
Posted 1/14/25

Unintentional consequence—noun. When an intentional good deed turns into a bad problem

Wood’s Wacky Dictionary of Thoughtful Terms

Sad to say, but true. We human beings have a …

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Woodworking again: Unintentional consequences make trouble

Posted

Unintentional consequence—noun. When an intentional good deed turns into a bad problem

Wood’s Wacky Dictionary of Thoughtful Terms

Sad to say, but true. We human beings have a keen propensity to have good intentions which unfortunately turn out to kick us in the collective butt.

Think I’m just a crabby old naysayer? Just look around you! Unintentional consequences are everywhere, even right here right at the Babylon on the Kinni. Here are a few examples for your perusal:

THE BEAUTIFICATION OF CASCADE

I’m certain that our city fathers had good intentions when they decided to beautify our beloved Cascade Avenue that flows past our university. Little did they realize it would become a round-about-ridden catastrophe in which students would amble outside the boundaries marked as crossings and struggle their way through foliage to make their way to class.

The unintentional consequence. Auto drivers refuse to embrace the harrowing prospect of negotiating Cascade, so instead, they take a right and turn left onto Walnut Street, which has become a speedway, endangering lives of the curious toddlers and cyclists who reside along its curbsides.

THE RIVER FALLS USPS’s DECISION TO REMOVE THE ACCESSIBLITY TO ACCESSIBLE MAIL DROPS.

Remember the olden days when the Post Office featured TWO drop boxes, a tall one, which drivers of Dodge Ram behemoths and semi tractors could EASILY reach out and drop their missives into its slot, and shorter ones for drivers of compacts and sports cars, whose drivers could not reach the taller slot. I have no doubt that in his removal of the shorter drop the Postmaster General had economy in mind (after all, his earlier role was in for-profit logistics companies). The consequence, of course, is that letters and income tax filings are dropped onto snowy parking lots with wet surfaces, and drivers have indulged their anger and frustrations with ugly and vulgar profanities that pollute the neighborhood’s usually harmonious atmosphere. Rather than sell the short one for scrap metal, economy be damned! General, please restore it to its original spot.

PRESIDENT-ELECT’S PROPOSAL TO IMPOSE TARIFFS ON OUR FOREIGN NEIGHBORS. 

Donald Trump’s objective is to gather funds to make possible a greater tomorrow for our tired and hungry masses yearning to be free. However, economists worry that such a proposal may cause recrimination around the world and our neighbors might tariff us back. The consequence: When my Beautiful Wife returns from the supermarket and fulminates about paying 12 bucks for a can of Crisco, I’ll have to listen to her fulminations and possibly give up the cookies she was intending to bake.

RIVER FALLS SIDEWALK SUPERINTENDENT’S DECISION TO “REPAIR” RATHER THAN REPLACE CRUMBLING SIDEWALK PAVERS ALONG WALNUT STREET

I know, I know, I’ve promised never to write on the sidewalk topic ever again, but it’s such a good example of my point about unintentional consequences, I just can’t resist. I am happy to endorse the superintendent’s aim to save taxpayer dollars, but does it really accomplish this goal when a botched repair job ends up costing taxpayers more? Let me explain. Last year, we complained that our sidewalk was so uneven that our new snowblower was having trouble removing the snow from selected pavers in front of our house. We even marked the spot and put up solar lamps to warn pedestrians (which turned out to bring about another unintended consequence of inviting petty theft).

Nevertheless, the city dutifully sent out a crew to mechanically GRIND down rather than replace the offending mismatches. Apparently, the crew didn’t grind enough and when our new snow remover saw them, he refused to renew our contract for $50 per time for the new season.

By the time we searched for a new agency, there were no takers. Finally, through the agency of a friend we found a removal company. That’s the good news. Here’s the bad. Now, when we receive one inch of snow, this company will charge no less than$75 per removal. If it snows more than 4 inches, they will assess us $100 per hour above the $75. Not a happy prospect for two old retirees, one with a fractured wrist and her spouse who has a difficult time just walking to change TV channels.

So, fellow citizens. If you come up with an idea to create a better society, please look before you leap.

Dave would like to hear from you. Phone him at 715-426-9554.

Woodworking again, Dave Wood, unintentional consequences, Cascade Avenue, mail boxes, tariffs, Walnut Street, sidewalks, column