The endangering species act.

Slate wrestles with the possibility that the Endangered Species Act doesn't serve its intended purpose, but actually, well, endangers species. After all, what would you do if you caught wind of a government plan to restrict the use of land you owned in order to protect an endangered species? If you were seriously concerned with your investment as a land owner, you'd probably try to slip in under the legislative wire and develop the land in whatever possibly lucrative way the government was about to restrict. Chances are, however, if the government hadn't threatened to restrict your land use rights, you might not have developed the land at all--after all, you hadn't already done so.