There's nothing more frustrating than when otherwise rational people make decisions based on rhetoric rather than hard facts.

Such a situation recently arose when the Conservative government in Ottawa attempted to trim some budget fat last September. One of their cuts included funding to the Status of Women Canada (SWC). According to a government web site, SWC "promotes gender equality, and the full participation of women in the economic, social, cultural and political life of the country."

It's not clear how they accomplish their goals or how they measure success or failure but we do know they give out a lot of money -- $12.3 million to be exact. Much of this money is given to groups promoting "gender issues."

Last year the Conservatives cut $5 million from the SWC budget and announced plans to close 12 of 16 regional offices. These reductions, the government argued, impacted only the size of the bureaucracy and not the delivery of programs.

Reaction from opposition parties and special interest groups was swift and severe. "We are now taking steps backward on equality rights instead of forward," said NDP MP Irene Mathyssen. "By shutting offices, changing the mandate and cutting funding, Bev Oda is not promoting women's rights. The Conservative government is not committed to promoting women's equality," continued Mathyssen. "They are abandoning women in this country."

Abandoning women Moving backwards on equality rights This sounds pretty serious. From the level of rhetoric being tossed about one would assume the only thing standing in the way of taking away women's right to vote is a government agency called SWC.

This is a classic example of political symbolism trumping substance. Groups opposed to the funding cuts never questioned whether public money was well-spent by the agency or whether it needed to exist in the first place. Nor did anybody talk about whether or not SWC needed a real overhaul for the first time since it was established during the Trudeau era.

For opposition parties, it was enough to say that cutting funding to SWC was tantamount to taking away gender equality in Canada - and it stuck. Less than six months later the Conservatives announced restoration of the $5 million in funding.

There is, in fact, another side to the story. According to documents obtained by Canadian Press through an Access to Information request, SWC was rotting from within long before the Tories trimmed their budget.

These internal documents said officials within SWC had concerns about "inefficient attention to results and accountability," high staff turnover, low morale and flagging influence in government circles.

An external consultant's report quoted government officials calling SWC a "relic," and an organization that "had once served an important purpose, but whose mission and mandate needed to be rethought or updated."

It would seem, based on these facts, the Conservatives were perfectly justified in cutting the SWC budget but facts were never a part of this debate. It was all about symbolism and political opportunism - not sound public policy.

Unfortunately, in this case and far too many others, a sensible policy decision fell victim to squeaky special interest groups and self-interested politicians. It's a pity.