Sheldon Richman on the Myth of the Greater Good

Most of us were taught that the ends don't justify the means. So why is it, writes Sheldon Richman, that most political measures are routinely defended on the sole basis that they will bring about some good consequence that supposedly outweighs the costs? As Richman observes, this happens all the time. A tariff is justified by the help it is thought to give to a struggling domestic industry. A mandate that employers or insurance companies (nominally) pay for women's contraception is justified in terms of women's health. Torture is justified as a source of useful information.