The Cost of Unnecessary CYA is Borne by the Least Powerful (i.e., you and me).
So, when authoritative voices boom that this or that must be done, for your own good, they really mean: largely at your own cost, and possibly for your own good, but less and less likely to be so over time, as more and more unnecessary CYA is ordered by the more powerful who don't actually bear the cost of it.
This is essentially the recent history and present of Modern Medicine. More and more tests and treatments are devised, so the medical professional can be sure there are no missed positives on their watch (despite the actual lack of being able to tell very well which is which) with the result that the endless testing and treatment of false positives and things that would otherwise not kill us first is probably killing us about as much as anything. But that's not their problem, that's our problem, the problem of the least powerful, the patients.
In addition to rare disorders that sometimes affect people so endlessly over-tested-and-treated, there are other costs. Ruining one's finances tops the list, both to pay the exhorbitant costs, and the loss of time and ability to work. It may ruin one's marriage, one's social life, one's education, and so on, which could then also lead to things like the loss of employment and good finances. One loses freedom, say, to work at other than a job with full benefits like health insurance, or not work at all, and lives in constant fear of being laid off and losing that insurance. One is subject to increased likelihood of traffic accidents, which could be totally or partially disabling. And so on. But those are our costs, so they are ignored in Medical Progress. Also, while the portion of the public with good health insurance will be tested and treated to the maximum the providers can conceivably collect from insurance--and often a bit more, people without good health insurance won't be even looked at, ever, no matter how much they actually need it, until they are dying in the emergency room--and that's another cost borne by the powerless.
One famous area where CYA has costs is the lack-of-speed whereby freeways, highways, and byways can be cleared after the least major of accidents. If police are involved, they want to be sure they have the whole story, signed in quadruplicate, before any cars are moved. It seems to require an act of Congress. So we must wait and wait. Additional accidents may occur as a result. That's our cost.
Another area which has become bigger and bigger CYA is underground locating services. My back yard does not seem to be near any new development, but nevertheless underground locators are continually requiring access to my back yard to check out for the umpteenth-umpteenth time where the utilities run. I think these things must be ordered at a high level where they must check everything in some grid box or path. Of course, so nothing can go wrong.
Curiously, as far as I can tell, the layout is NOT as specified in my plat. My plat shows a utility easement on one side of the house...but electrical and signal wires actually run on the other side. There is no gas at all, and water and sewer are all in the front.
This combination of easements and actual lines has blocked off large parts of my yard for permanent structures, and often makes it hard to even plant plants or lay temporary structures. I must honor the easements in spite of the fact there is nothing there for miles as far as I can tell.
I've come to hate underground utilities because of both losing ground to development and the endless underground locating. Those are my costs, so they don't count.
So, when authoritative voices boom that this or that must be done, for your own good, they really mean: largely at your own cost, and possibly for your own good, but less and less likely to be so over time, as more and more unnecessary CYA is ordered by the more powerful who don't actually bear the cost of it.
This is essentially the recent history and present of Modern Medicine. More and more tests and treatments are devised, so the medical professional can be sure there are no missed positives on their watch (despite the actual lack of being able to tell very well which is which) with the result that the endless testing and treatment of false positives and things that would otherwise not kill us first is probably killing us about as much as anything. But that's not their problem, that's our problem, the problem of the least powerful, the patients.
In addition to rare disorders that sometimes affect people so endlessly over-tested-and-treated, there are other costs. Ruining one's finances tops the list, both to pay the exhorbitant costs, and the loss of time and ability to work. It may ruin one's marriage, one's social life, one's education, and so on, which could then also lead to things like the loss of employment and good finances. One loses freedom, say, to work at other than a job with full benefits like health insurance, or not work at all, and lives in constant fear of being laid off and losing that insurance. One is subject to increased likelihood of traffic accidents, which could be totally or partially disabling. And so on. But those are our costs, so they are ignored in Medical Progress. Also, while the portion of the public with good health insurance will be tested and treated to the maximum the providers can conceivably collect from insurance--and often a bit more, people without good health insurance won't be even looked at, ever, no matter how much they actually need it, until they are dying in the emergency room--and that's another cost borne by the powerless.
One famous area where CYA has costs is the lack-of-speed whereby freeways, highways, and byways can be cleared after the least major of accidents. If police are involved, they want to be sure they have the whole story, signed in quadruplicate, before any cars are moved. It seems to require an act of Congress. So we must wait and wait. Additional accidents may occur as a result. That's our cost.
Another area which has become bigger and bigger CYA is underground locating services. My back yard does not seem to be near any new development, but nevertheless underground locators are continually requiring access to my back yard to check out for the umpteenth-umpteenth time where the utilities run. I think these things must be ordered at a high level where they must check everything in some grid box or path. Of course, so nothing can go wrong.
Curiously, as far as I can tell, the layout is NOT as specified in my plat. My plat shows a utility easement on one side of the house...but electrical and signal wires actually run on the other side. There is no gas at all, and water and sewer are all in the front.
This combination of easements and actual lines has blocked off large parts of my yard for permanent structures, and often makes it hard to even plant plants or lay temporary structures. I must honor the easements in spite of the fact there is nothing there for miles as far as I can tell.
I've come to hate underground utilities because of both losing ground to development and the endless underground locating. Those are my costs, so they don't count.
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