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Pastimes : THE SLIGHTLY MODERATED BOXING RING -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (12026)	5/10/2002 2:42:13 AM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21057

You came into a conversation where I was opposing extremist rhetoric which was dismissive of an entire employment sector...a sector whose value was being treated with casual dismissiveness. Unless you are also an extremist as regards this, I have no need to argue an absolute antithesis. If you believe that Government and private industry can both be guilty of mismanagement and waste, or that both may also be well run, then our disagreement here is probably only one of emphasis--if that. I find little value in vague and apocryphal surmising. Extremist points of view lack balance and objectivity. They obscure essential truth, and they mislead. They reflect a narrow, myopic, and parochial mindset. Nor can they be countered in a wholly rational manner...but must be opposed (it seems to me) with a bit of unfortunate scratching and biting. There are few businesses, public or private, which may not be operated with a greater efficiently, or with a more pertinent accountability. Reasonable people appreciate that the benefits of democracy flow from responsible, honest, specific, and informed criticism. Sloppy and ill conceived generalizations and exaggerations lead only to friction and divisiveness. I entered this conversation with Tim only because of his statement that public employees were less productive than private employees--which was insulting, cocky, and without essential merit. Certainly...even when mismanagement and waste have been identified in management...it has very rarely been shown to exist in the dedicated employees who have met the competitive performance standards of the front lines. And while we all have various thoughts and feelings about particular agencies...any publicly voiced criticisms ought to be specific if they are to be accepted as well intentioned--and not merely hostile taunting occasioned by prejudice.