Social solutions gone awry.

I was gazing up the St. Lawrence River on vacation this summer, and I began to think about different political and social programs and their consequences. What they all seemed to have in common were their capacity to have both a positive and negative effect. They begin with a noble purpose, but always seem to evolve into ignoble ends: Policies that on their merits were needed but were corrupted in their implementation.

A prime example would be welfare. It was meant as a temporary stop gap measure to help families in need for a few weeks. At first you went to the local police precinct to get your handout. Over the years, welfare became a job creation vehicle that resulted in a larger bureaucracy than the military with few recipients leaving the portals once they had entered.

Each and every time an idea is thought of that may help the common man by the elitists of government, the upper class or the church, it is fraught with potential abuse. "Affirmative Action" becomes "Reverse Discrimination." The bussing of children to achieve integration in schools results in the wholesale abandonment of whites from city neighborhoods. Good intentions gone awry.

The Housing Part of the Civil Court was once thought to be the answer to the speedy resolution of the high volume of Landlord-Tenant cases. Judges and attorneys skilled in these types of cases could try or settle huge numbers of cases while dispensing appropriate justice. Instead, it became just another bureaucracy - instituting bizarre and arcane procedures and maneuvers to have cases never resolved. Another job creation gimmick for the bureaucrats.

Several years ago, people had the idea that if property owners formed a Business Improvement District, (BID), they could provide more and additional services than the city offered. It was supposed to spruce up geographical areas that could afford to pay more in taxes than less fortunate neighborhoods. A sort of "let them eat cake" philosophy to the poor and working class inhabitants of less ritzy districts. Some BIDs didn't quite see it that way. They were of the mind that they were more like a block association which paid dues to help plant flowers.

However, these "block associations" do more than plant flowers. They hire people to clean streets, pick up trash and police the neighborhood. Further, the dues are anything but voluntary. They are collected as an additional mandatory assessment. How many property owners in these districts know anything about how their money is used and the huge salaries that some BID officials are paid?

A new policy instituted by the NYPD is the ability of legal and law-abiding citizens and communities to hire off duty but armed and uniformed officers to guard them. This service is not meant to compete with Wells Fargo. It is several times more expensive than their guards. However, for that additional money you get a highly trained professional peace officer.

The downside, of course, is that the Coalition For Young Rich Girls will be able to afford to hire "New York's Finest," while the Sweet Sixteen Party in Corona will be lucky to afford a guy who probably saw the cell from both sides of the bars. A policy implemented so that cops could earn more money without the city giving them a raise. What it will ultimately accomplish will be to make the police seem to the minority communities more of a tool for the rich than they already are perceived to be.

The headline in the New York Post as I write this is that business gives a failing grade to the quality of education in the city public schools. Some believe the only way to solve this problem is to have a voucher system of education. This may be true.

The cynical me sees a host of scams that may appear with a new opportunity to make money.

Government will set up some sort of extensive monitoring system to enforce the many rules that will be promulgated to make sure the quality of education is appropriate. Consider it the extension of 110 Livingston into the private educational sector. Then just look at the opportunity for vouchers to be traded on the black market like food stamps are now. The possibilities are endless for the enrichment of society in ways never contemplated.

The evil outcomes of such good intentions are anything but new. They will always be with us. The next time someone tells you they have a solution for a problem, just remember life never turns out as intended.

(Thomas F. Campenni is a real estate consultant advising owners, condominiums and co-ops. He welcomes responses in writing at P.O. Box 724, Old Greenwich, CT 06870 or by calling 203-637-5621).