Keith, Well stated.
Bill On Mon, 04 Nov 2002 21:17:22 +0000 Keith Hudson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Bill, > > At 10:29 04/11/02 -0500, you wrote: > >Keith, > > > >I doubt if there is a declining potential future elite with India > and > >China a couple of bytes away. If we only look at Europeans, you may > have > >a point but even the Europeans in the US will become a minority in > a > >couple of decades. We continue to survive by importing superior > >foreigners. Every time I notice the winners of school academic > >achievement, those of European decent seem to be left out. > > Let me tip this on its head to illustrate my point! America has only > been > surviving economically in the last twenty years or so by virtue of > the > large numbers of talented individuals that it has been able to > attract > (from Russia, Europe, but mainly East Asia and India). It was > patently > unable to develop its new industries from its own personnel > resources. (To > some extent, Europe is also attracting some talent but most of > Europe's > cream [certainly from this country] is going to the US.) > > At some stage, though, when incomes and opportunities in Asia have > become > more equal then it's likely that talent will stay where it was born. > As far > as Chinese talent is concerned, that time cannot be far off (in my > opinion). > > (WBW) > >Further, and more important, my guess is that those who are willing > to > >sacrifice all for achievement in corporations or government tend to > be > >followers who are willing to kiss 'a**' to move up. > > The people with real influence are not necessarily those who happen > to be > in government or business at the time their ideas were adopted . > The > present Bush policy has been influenced by academics originally > outside the > system such as Eliot Cohen, Wolfofitz. (I'm aware that the latter > *has*, in > fact, joined the government since he developed his ideas, but this > doesn't > alter my argument.) So long as they are reasonably comfortable the > meritocracy I'm talking about is much more interested in ideas than > power. > > >tho I am not sure that > >the meritocracy process really selects the best. > > I agree that it's not always efficient and that there's plenty of > nepotism > and 'old pals act' involved. > > > That certainly is true > >in US government except, perhaps for a guy like Wellstone. Also, > we have > >had a bunch of heads of fast growing corporations who must have > skipped > >math[s] on their way up. > > > >The elite in terms of pure brainpower are in astronomy. > > Yes (perhaps more precisely cosmology) -- that and physics. > > > Keith Hudson > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- > ------------ > > Keith Hudson, General Editor, Handlo Music, http://www.handlo.com > 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England > Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727; > mailto:khudson@;handlo.com > ________________________________________________________________________ > > ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com
