 And now, great moments in unintended consequences. Part one, driving days. The year, 1989. The problem, terrible air quality in Mexico City. The solution, prohibit one out of five cars from driving each weekday based on their license plate numbers to keep traffic down and improve air quality. Sounds like a great idea, with the best of intentions. What could possibly go wrong? Citizens got around the ban by buying a second car. Often cheaper, older and less efficient. Having more crappier cars in circulation failed to fix the problem. And according to a number of studies, air pollution actually increased after the restrictions were imposed. But not to worry, politicians saw the error of their ways and in 2008, expanded the program to Saturdays. Yes, really. Part two, boat taxes. The year, 1773. The problem, Britain needs money. The solution, collects port and lighthouse fees on merchant ships based on their length and width. Sounds like a great idea, with the best of intentions. What could possibly go wrong? Shockingly for the British, people don't like paying taxes. Since ships were charged by width and length, but not depth, shipbuilders maximized cargo capacity while minimizing taxes by building deep, sluggish, flat bottom, flat-sided vessels. A recipe for instability. So while Britain's Navy was ruling the seas, their unsightly and unmanageable merchant ships were a laughing stock. But on the plus side, the tax man can't reach you on the bottom of the ocean. Part three, flying the empty skies. The year, 2020. The problem, a global pandemic straining the American airline industry. The solution, a $60 billion bailout to rescue airlines and maintain continuity of service. Sounds like a great idea, with the best of intentions. What could possibly go wrong? With concerns over COVID, air passenger rates plummeted as much as 95%. But since airlines were mandated to maintain a minimum level of service to qualify for the emergency government funding, airlines were forced to continue flying planes, even if there was no one on board. Voila! American skies were quickly filled with ghost flights. Nearly empty planes crisscrossing the country so the industry could qualify for billions of taxpayer funds. Jet fuel wasn't the only thing being wasted. Great moments and unintended consequences. Good intentions, bad results.