Increased panic efficiency
It's an old and unsurprising part of human behavior. Parkinson pinned it down nicely with his quantitative analysis of bureaucracies. Organizations constantly grow and constantly redouble their efforts to get money and power, even when their pet problem diminishes or disappears.

It's an evil phenomenon for one simple reason: Money and manpower are finite. If useless organizations and pointless agencies are constantly absorbing more money and labor, there's nothing left for new organizations to solve new and real problems.

Seems like Parkinson is getting stronger lately. Bureaucracies and NGOs are gaining new panic-generating skills, honing their fundraising and Congressional begging to a fine point.

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Couple of examples:

(1) Gun violence in the US has steadily decreased for the last 20 years. Therefore, the anti-gun commies and the power-loving bureaucrats have to try harder and lie harder to justify their existence. Each time they find a new Horrible Example Of Gun Violence, facts reveal that the supposed solution is irrelevant, but the bureaucrats and commies never change course. "Well, yes, registration wouldn't have helped this time, but it will stop all future horrible incidents." Nobody ever notices that the proposed solutions are ALWAYS irrelevant, that the supposed future incident is always the same as the past incidents. No, the media just keep hammering and wallowing and hammering and wallowing and hammering. We read the names and we clang the bells and we solemnly intone "Americaaaaaaaa Remembaaaaaaahs." We read the names and we clang the bells and we solemnly intone "Americaaaaaaaa Remembaaaaaaahs." We read the names and we clang the bells and we solemnly intone "Americaaaaaaaa Remembaaaaaaahs." We read the names and we clang the bells and we solemnly intone "Americaaaaaaaa Remembaaaaaaahs." And each time the media hammers on the drama of violence, another schizophrenic gets the idea that he needs to join the action. Paraphrasing Zuzu: "Every time a bell clangs, another crazy dude bangs."

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(2) The current solar cycle is distinctly weak, and the Earth's internal magnetic field has been declining for 30 years, possibly heading for a reversal of north and south. These two facts should lead us to worry about the weakest protection from cosmic rays in the industrial era. We don't know all the effects of this combination because we haven't been there before. Svensmark's observation implies that it means LOTS OF RAIN. It may also mean an increase in random electronic problems; CMOS circuitry is especially prone to glitches from cosmic alpha particles. And it certainly means confused bacteria in the ocean and confused birds in the air, with unknown consequences for natural patterns and ocean currents. THE ONE FUCKING THING IT DOES NOT MEAN is an increased probability of great big sunspots. Great big sunspots are more likely during a strong solar max, and this is the weakest one in living memory.

Well then. Are we studying Svensmark? No, of course not. There isn't a Svensmark Agency. Are we studying the possible connection between confused bacteria and ocean currents? No, there isn't a Magnetotropic Bacteria Agency. Instead, we're panicking about a great big sunspot. We're making comparisons with the 1859 solar supermax. This article is notably egregious. It even shows the waveform of the current solar max and the previous one. While you read the panic about the huge fireball that destroys all our electronics, you can look at the disproof of the panic! So everyone gears up for the unlikely event while ignoring the real current problem.
  ¶ 4:33 AM