Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970405145024.15252E-100000@fox.ksu.ksu.edu> Date: Sat, 5 Apr 1997 15:05:02 -0600 From: kerry miller <mailto:astingsh@KSU.EDU> Subject: Re: Power politics To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Dave, > Ah well, its not my problem anymore, in fact, it never was. It wasn't
> anybody's problem and probably still isn't. Dave Johnson
Hey, didnt they tell you a 'problem' is something that we _don't_ know the answer to? Once the Problem has been Solved, we go on to something else. To my knowledge, not only have AID and the Peace Corps and the spectrum of UN agencies *never* dealt in routine maintenance, but also most of the Industrial Ed schools in this country (wherein one might learn how to keep one's shop running) have been shut down.
The underlying premise of the Problem-solving syndrome is that every thing can be dealt with independently; there is no need to deal with relationships between things, therefore newer is _by definition_ better. Maintaining is thus a perversion of this, as it deals primarily with relationships - and who wants to be a pervert?
But lets look on the bright side: consider the treasure-piles of junk we are laying up for future generations of servicepeople to fix, COme the day when any tractor or powerplant will be better than none, people will _appreciate_ the humble talent that knows how to calibrate a gauge or reseat a bearing. The worm will turn (just as soon as I find the oilcan).
kerry