Letter to the editor: Recently, the city council passed an ordinance that prohibits loitering at the local shopping mall  The council' s declared goal was to eliminate overcrowding and alleviate pedestrian congestion, thereby improving the mall' s business and restoring its family-oriented image
But despite these claims, reducing overcrowding and congestion cannot be the actual goals of this measure, because even when fully implemented, the ordinance would not accomplish them
The argument takes for granted that something cannot be the goal of an action performed unless the action will in fact achieve that goal.