The French philosopher Voltaire once wrote, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."  It's a simple yet profound phrase.  There is little in life that is perfect, so we must constantly ask ourselves if the benefits out-weigh the risks.  When we are sick, we take medicine that helps us, even though there is a small chance of unpleasant side-effects.  Yet, we trust our doctors and fill those prescriptions, because the benefits far out-weigh the risks, and over time, those risks might be ameliorated.  What if we all decided not to use medicine because of a small risk of side-effects?  We would probably see life expectancy drop, more illnesses, and a reduced quality of life, all because we allowed the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

     I chose to use a health example, but if you think closely, you will likely find a plethora of examples.  Hopefully, we are able to intelligently balance the risks and rewards in order to prevent the perfect from becoming the enemy of the good.  Besides our private lives, this type of "cost benefit analysis" is also useful in the political sphere.  For a good example, you need to look no further than the debate over E-Verify.

     E-Verify is a government database used by many states to discern whether someone is in the United States legally.  Many states have decided to use E-Verify to assure that only legal residents are able to find work.  Most people would agree that it isn't perfect.  Despite this, it is usually correct.  My workplace is required to use E-Verify and we didn't have any problems.  With that said, problems can occur, and when they do, they can be corrected.  For the vast majority of residents, E-Verify works well.  Admittedly, it isn't perfect, but it is still highly effective.

     You will hear advocates for illegal immigrants and open borders criticize E-Verify for its lack of perfection.  They will ignore the fact that it usually works just fine.  They are allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good, but not because they misunderstand the distinction.  It is do to their agenda, which is to allow as many illegal immigrants into the United States as possible.  Those who oppose E-Verify either favor open borders, or are set to benefit from illegal immigration.  When you hear debates about E-Verify, be sure to keep this in mind.