Unintended effects abound, both good and bad

The law of unintended consequences is still in effect during the current economic downturn.

Auto company executives certainly could have used a little better judgment than flying in multi-million dollar corporate jets to ask Congress for more taxpayer money.

Never mind that many of their elected critics saw nothing wrong with going on corporate- or taxpayer-funded junkets. The car execs flew commercial or drove to their next hearing in Washington, and corporate jets went out of fashion.

Now, Southwest Nebraskans hear daily news reports from Wichita, Kan., about layoffs in the aviation industry.

Duncan Aviation in Lincoln certainly would have had felt the economic pressure regardless, but the public spotlight on corporate jets owned by failing companies didn't help.

Tuesday, their aircraft sales and maintenance company announced it would cut 300 jobs nationwide, 170 of them in Lincoln. It's also delayed plans to build a $58 million maintenance center in Provo, Utah.

An insurance company's lavish corporate retreat, only days after it accepted a big federal bailout, sent other companies scrambling to cancel similar events.

Combined with the general slowdown, destinations like Las Vegas are hurting, with workers from management to housekeeping finding themselves out of jobs.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported the steepest decline since the September 11 terrorist attacks, with daily room rates down nearly 20 percent and occupancy at less than half-full for the first time in recent memory.

The LVCA learned that since the fourth quarter of 2008, 340 groups have canceled meetings in Las Vegas, 236,700 room nights have been lost, 11,800 visitors stayed away and the local economy suffered a $131.6 million hit.

But not all consequences of hard times are bad, of course. Surviving businesses will be leaner and more profitable once good times return.

Shortages send all of us scrambling to find ways to save money and increase efficiency. They may be small steps, but they can add up quickly on the balance sheets.

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for example, trays will be banned from the dining halls later this month.

University diners enjoy unlimited access and all-you-care to eat privileges on campus, but studies show that much of the food taken ends up in the garbage. Diners are more selective when they have to make multiple trips to their table with separate plates, glasses and cups.

During a March 4 trial run, volunteer observers found that beverage waste dropped about 35 percent per person and food waste dropped about 27 percent per person compared to a similar day in February.

Plus, elimination of trays reduces consumption of the energy, water and chemicals used to clean and dry them.

Saving money, energy and, most importantly, food, makes sense, good times and bad.