WEBVTT

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- And now,

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"Great Moments in
Unintended Consequences."

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Part one. The yacht plot.

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The year. 1990.

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The problem: a national
debt that had exploded.

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The solution: a 10% luxury
tax on expensive boats.

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Sounds like a great idea
with the best of intentions.

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What could possibly go wrong?

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It turns out that while
wealthy people buy yachts,

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it's usually middle income
people who make them.

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This giant middle finger of a tax plan

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cut sales of luxury boats by 70%,

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sent companies overseas
or into Chapter 11,

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destroyed hundreds of
thousands of middle class jobs,

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and resulted in a net loss in tax revenue.

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Turns out it was all for yacht.

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Part two. Who's hungry Mao?

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The year is 1958.

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The problem. Birds eating
too much grain in China.

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The solution.

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Chairman Mao labels the Eurasian sparrow

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as a capitalist enemy of the state,

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kicking off a nationwide campaign
to eradicate the species.

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Sounds like an idea with
the best of intentions.

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What could possibly go wrong?

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It turns out sparrows also eat insects,

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and insects eat a lot more
grain than sparrows do.

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A hundred million dead birds later

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grain yields plummeted in China,

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resulting in massive famine, starvation,

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and deaths estimated between
15 and 45 million people.

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On the bright side, at least
China learned its lesson

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about rounding up unwanted population.

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Part three. Vaccination proclamations.

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The year. 2021.

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The problem.

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Effective distribution for a vaccine

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with a short shelf life.

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New York's solution.

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Create a massively
detailed yet questionable

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priority schedule.

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Then mandate appointments
pushing applicants,

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including the elderly,
toward a buggy website

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to answer lengthy questionnaires

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and upload multiple attachments.

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When that slows things down,
fine distribution centers

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for giving about-to-expire
doses to non-priority patients.

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When they throw expired doses away,

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fine them for not using their
entire supply fast enough.

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Also, remove the priority
status of frontline workers

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who don't get it early enough,

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and threaten to strip medical licenses

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and future vaccine delivery
for those who don't comply

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with all the rules created
and changed on a daily basis.

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Sounds like. Uh, come on,
New York, get it together.

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Just don't forget to cover
up nursing home deaths

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and blame the federal government
when you collect your Emmy.

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"Great Moments in
Unintended Consequences."

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Good intentions, bad results.