Ever wonder how our elected officials could make such terrible decisions? My father-in-law has his own hypothesis. He says it can all be explained by game theory.

He uses the Firefly fiasco as an example:

• If a council person votes against loaning money to Firefly and Firefly succeeds, voters will think the council person is an idiot.
• If a council person votes against loaning money to Firefly and Firefly fails, no one will hear about it or remember how the council members voted.
• If a council person votes for loaning money to Firefly and Firefly succeeds, the council member will be seen as prescient and his vote will be celebrated.
• If a council person votes for loaning money to Firefly and Firefly fails, voters will excuse the poor decision by saying the council person only had the best interests of the city at heart.

Given those outcomes, the smartest move is to vote for loaning money to Firefly. It carries the least risk and greatest potential reward to their reputation and reelection chances. And the same goes for any public body considering any development or risky scheme.