As I recall, the Peter Principle advanced people who were good at one job into one they were hopelessly ill-equipped to perform- an example would be placing a craftsman into management or an excellent teacher into the principal's office. Heh! Sort of like electing a community organizer to the Senate or Presidency! :-)
On Jul 20, 7:19 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I have a feeling the Peter Principle was written in the late 50's > Gruff. I always objected to it because it suggested people were > promoted because they were ever good at something. I favour > cooperatives and think we should restrict pay and other earnings to > individuals, but I'm not happy with centralised government squandering > the capital produced. It breaks my back these days using hand tools > to dig my vegetable garden. This produces about a quarter of our > food. Technology has brought massive productivity rises, meaning we > should have more leisure and so on. I don't want some Indonesian guy > breaking his back on my behalf. I think economics should start in such > considerations. > > On 19 July, 17:20, DarkwaterBlight <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I'm not particularly agreeable with that either but I do understand > > his position as I have worked for the feds for several years past > > tense. I am more agreeable with arch in that the private sector needs > > to step up where the govt. is falling grossly short and need to do it > > in areas other than new bussiness managment models. We are in a > > technically advanced world today and educational institutions need to > > take the initiative to develop relationships with industry and form co- > > ops to provide a competent workforce in many different disciplines > > across the board. These co-op students provide an affordable labor and > > ground floor managment force and cost no more than the imports in the > > long run. > > > On Jul 18, 2:30 pm, ashok tewari <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > " Human incompetence and stupidity is pandemic ... " > > > > The bastards who believe in this need are the same who are addicted to > > > going > > > back to the sucking they are used to, and I include Gruff among the > > > suckers > > > ! > > > > That's an ad hominem and I am guilty as accused ! It's impossible to > > > include him in a shorthand practice and not know him for what he is ! It's > > > ignorance dark. Let Gruff lodge his complaint or withdraw gracefully. > > > > But he's a vermin. No human is incompetent except by the bosses that pay > > > him. The feudalism and capitalism isn't far ! Having landed into nothing, > > > he > > > expects everyone to be likewise ... nothing. Well Gruff, not everyone is > > > agreeable to being nothing. And I want to turn the world upside down if > > > that be what you want us to be . > > > > I do not agree with his buttering and cuddling to powers that be. > > > > On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 10:40 PM, gruff <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > "... On Jul 16, 8:27 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: ..." > > > > > > We have a hosepipe ban here Gruff - water shortage in NW England! I'm > > > > > looking for a bet that all Lancashire cricket will now be washed out! > > > > > Our Bulgarian neighbours can't work out why they don't just shut the > > > > > stuff off 8 hours a day like back home. They still dig wells to > > > > > irrigate crops on the family farm over there. Given how incompetent > > > > > we are in government in the West I'm often amazed we get anything > > > > > built,until I think of my experience elsewhere. My sense is that we > > > > > did do a fair day's pay better than most others and need to get back > > > > > to that. The cuts here will hurt more than most expect -and all over > > > > > Europe as the private sector will probably have no bounce or > > > > > innovation. I hope I'm wrong, but the kind of private sector I worked > > > > > in has gone. What keeps springing up are management agencies for > > > > > essentially public sector work, done at cheaper prices. I suspect > > > > > this is wrong in principle. I'm all in favour of efficiency, but we > > > > > need more than just this. > > > > > Human incompetence and stupidity is pandemic and I think always has > > > > been and yes, I too am continually astounded that things we manage to > > > > accomplish in spite of it. Clearly it does not take a majority of the > > > > population to bring about positive change. There was a book very > > > > popular over here back in the '80s called The Peter Principle which > > > > argued that people in any sort of organizational situation will rise > > > > to the highest level of their own incompetence. In government it's > > > > called the bureaucracy and it works the same way in any large > > > > corporation. Entities may or may not be too big to fail but they are > > > > definitely big enough to be incredibly stupid, inefficient, inept, > > > > self-centered, paranoid and self-destructive in their attempts to be > > > > self-perpetuating. > > > > > Yet in spite of it all, I feel positive about the future. I used to > > > > have that confidence because I always figured that competent good > > > > people outnumbered the idiots 51% to 49%. I have a new theory these > > > > days. As I noted above, I think it only takes a small number of > > > > people working at their best and in the best interests of society to > > > > move us forward. > > > > > > My suspicion is that the business models are outdated. Our pubs are > > > > > closing everywhere, screwed by taxes, costly buildings, equipment, > > > > > position and being just crap places. Nothing new is replacing them. > > > > > I can think of nowhere where the old smoke stacks have really been > > > > > replaced, and all the shipping and such is in other labour markets - > > > > > we could draw up along list. Kids are being told to get educated, but > > > > > frankly the factories and big companies did a much better job at that > > > > > than universities and colleges. There is no vision and I think the > > > > > 'invisible hand' is broken. Charles Murray talked about this 30 years > > > > > ago. The new government is basically saying there is no money, so sod > > > > > off and find new ways to do stuff. > > > > > While some business models are clearly outdated, others that currently > > > > don't seem to work would show progress if they were properly and > > > > rationally applied. But outmoded industry and industry that has > > > > become far too labor expensive ( vs being labor intensive) is gone for > > > > good to emerging nations. I think our education system -- and > > > > probably yours too -- is geared toward the old assembly line industry > > > > and needs to be redirected toward a more complex technical industrial > > > > and business world. Over here that shows up clearly in our huge > > > > influx of high tech workers from other nations because we can't find > > > > them among our own. This seems especially prevalent in the medical > > > > profession and is creating a new problem in the area of > > > > communication. These technicians and health care workers may be > > > > technically proficient but there is a language problem that is causing > > > > a high degree of mistakes. Secondly, and this is strictly my own > > > > opinion with no supporting evidence, but I find many nurses are coming > > > > here from Asia and have a cultural background that places different > > > > values on human life and comfort than what we in the west have. > > > > > > The single Gaussian copula (or multiple) is not of much interest,other > > > > > than that our financial institutions waste a lot of electricity > > > > > cooling CPUs to run it - Wiki has a reasonable explanation. I;m fairly > > > > > good in the area and can't see that it's much more than another magic > > > > > wand covering insider trading and betting with more knowledge than the > > > > > market as a whole. > > > > > I took a look at the Wiki entry and while it might be a reasonable > > > > explanation for someone in that specialty it was greek to me. I'll > > > > take your word that it's pretty much another magic wand. But trading > > > > is nothing more than a more reputable form of casino gaming and the > > > > casinos have allowed, welcomed and even financed some people to come > > > > in and try out their systems for beating the odds. The house always > > > > winds up with its take regardless. The only system that's a proven > > > > winner is counting cards at blackjack or '21' and the state made it > > > > illegal. > > > > > I understand the comparison is superficial because the market can be > > > > manipulated much easier than a casino can be taken, but there is still > > > > that element that's present. People are complaining that more > > > > regulation will raise the cost of finance and possibly may smother the > > > > economy. I don't think so. People are always devising protection > > > > schemes that others find their way around almost immediately. It just > > > > takes an ever higher level of being clever. But the system continues > > > > on, so clearly the deviousity (sic) is not that much a hindrance to > > > > continual profits. > > > > > > I'm all for shaking out the apples, but I want to > > > > > see more than vague, old and failed hopes of entrepreneurial > > > > > enterprise and such. Most public debates are clapped out. Science > > > > > would be looking for a new core programme for capitalism 4. > > > > > According to my theory the growth of human awareness, innate morality, > > > > and civil behavior always lags scientific and business innovation and > > > > advancement but that gap is getting smaller as the demands of a fast > > > > moving world pull us along. The theory, knowledge and practice will > > > > follow in logical order. > > > > > Just keep on reminding yourself that it's a fiat economy -- a fiction > > > > by any other name -- and we're the authors. We can write it any way > > > > we wish. > > > > -- > > > ASHOK TEWARI- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
