Policies entail trade-offs; institutions manage them, not magic them away.
Sowell's formulation: there are no solutions, only trade-offs. Its use is diagnostic — a proposal claiming no downside has usually hidden one rather than avoided it.
In practice
- A council promises shorter waits, more staff and a lower precept, and delivers the first by redefining when the wait begins.
- A vendor whose product has no drawbacks has one you will meet at renewal.