Beware those unintended consequences

These are worthy objectives. In the abstract there’s no disputing the stated purpose of these measures. Yet life doesn’t function in the abstract. Turning idealism into workable solutions isn’t as simple or achievable as advocates believe.

Still, Democratic liberals may have the votes to get what they want. The problem is their actions could make matters worse by rushing too quickly to reach a desired result.

The Law of Unintended Consequences could come into play.

Early voting, for instance, is a fine idea. But senators and delegates may be creating a situation that encourages voter fraud and manipulation of the system in an attempt to boost Democratic vote totals.

Compounding their actions, lawmakers want the public to approve early voting without giving people any information on the details. ‘‘We’ll take care of the specifics later,” they’re saying. That’s asking for trouble. You wouldn’t even buy a used car that way.

Clean-car legislation poses another example of good intentions that could collide with practical problems. Low-polluting autos might cost as much as $3,000 more. That would make it far more difficult for lower-income families to afford vehicles.

Maryland auto dealers might see a huge drop in new car sales as buyers go out of state to purchase far cheaper vehicles. That could lead to a big drop in state transportation tax revenue.

Even worse, there’s no solid evidence this move would dramatically decrease air pollution here since so much of our bad air blows in from the industrial Midwest. Pretending this move will be a major step toward eliminating greenhouse gas pollution is hyperbole.

Similarly, bills expanding health care insurance sound wonderful but the details are proving devilish. If lawmakers aren’t careful, they could harm the state’s entire health care system.

They already seem intent on creating an unfunded mandate of at least $120 million that will have to be paid next year when the state already is looking at a whopping $1.3 billion deficit.

And if efforts succeed in stripping money from hospitals to pay for part of this health insurance expansion, the effect could be less, not more, community health programs. Meanwhile, federal payments to Maryland hospitals could be imperiled.

Rushing headlong into the unknown isn’t wise. That’s why a bill requiring insurance companies to continue offering coverage for waterfront property could become counter-productive.

Such a mandate would likely lead to an exodus of key insurers from Maryland. It would encourage more rapid waterfront development — a distinctly ‘‘dumb growth” idea. And it would make a mockery of the actuarial basis of insurance underwriting. This is a classic case of legislators ignoring the realities of a market economy.

Meanwhile, ending the death penalty is all the rage among social liberals in Annapolis. Even the state’s fence-sitting governor has sided with them. It’s the ‘‘in” thing to do. Executions are cruel and unusual punishment. They are morally and ethically repulsive.

And yet ask prison guards if their safety and security would be enhanced by eliminating capital punishment. The answer would be a resounding ‘‘no.”

Sure, we can end executions, but that would make it open season on guards and inmates by convicted killers who would have nothing to lose by perpetrating prison violence of the worst kind. It also would be an open invitation to gang violence and revenge killings in state penitentiaries.

The unintended consequences could be tragic and lethal, turning maximum security prisons into killing zones.

We’d be creating a bigger problem while eliminating a deeply troubling moral dilemma.

Unintended consequences could haunt Gov. Martin O’Malley, too. He wants to give the new chairman of the Public Service Commission a $68,000 raise — to $185,000, which is $35,000 more than the governor makes himself.

The rationale is an old one — the new PSC chairman, Steve Larsen, was earning far more than $185,000 in his private-sector job. He made a financial sacrifice when he agreed to take this public post. We should help him out.

Balderdash. Nearly every individual who accepts a prominent public post knows it comes with lower pay than in the private sector. It goes with the territory.

To make an exception for Larsen opens the floodgates. The other PSC commissioners will have to be given big pay jumps; so will cabinet secretaries, deputy secretaries and assistant secretaries. So will other important paid appointees of the O’Malley administration. Wage inflation could cost the state tens of millions of dollars next year and every year thereafter.

None of that was intended when O’Malley recruited Larsen for the top PSC job. But it probably will be the end result. A more thoughtful and deliberate selection process might have revealed the flaws in the governor’s action. But O’Malley was eager to announce Larsen’s selection, and now taxpayers will wind up paying for it.

Barry Rascovar is a communications consultant in the Baltimore area. His Wednesday morning commentaries can be heard on WYPR, 88.1 FM. His e-mail address is brascovar@ hotmail.com.