Hello Friends, 

Just wanted to alert you to the subject book by the author of  "The Death of 
Common Sense", (If you have not yet read I highly recommend it.)

While these books may not be technical, the stories they tell and the 
implications on our industry and the environment are clear. We have had a lot 
on "non-nutritious" material put on our collective plates in recent years and 
have been told by others ( mostly poorly informed bureaucrats) who have no 
involvement in our industry or any real technical understanding that it is 
good for us and that we should eat it without asking the reason why. It is 
something to think about no matter what your position is. 

Some information on the subject book follows...

Kind regards to all, 
Joe



THE LOST ART OF DRAWING THE LINE
How Fairness Went Too Far
by Philip K. Howard 
(Author of the national bestseller THE DEATH OF COMMON SENSE)

"Seesaws are disappearing across America.
Labels warn that coffee is hot.
Good teachers, fed up, quit.
Bad teachers can’t be fired.
You’d have to be a fool to say what you really think.
Why can’t Americans just do what makes sense?"

"According to best-selling author and lawyer, Philip K. Howard, we have the 
idea of fairness backward. We have worked so hard to protect the rights of 
the individual, that we have trampled the rights of individuals as members of 
a society. Legal fear has corroded our freedom. Who knows who may bring a 
lawsuit, or claim that a workplace or school decision was unfair? Better to 
play it safe, or do nothing. "

"In 1960, over 75% of Americans had confidence in government. By 1996, that 
number had plummeted to 24%. Today, Americans don’t trust political leaders 
to make decisions for the common good. We don’t trust teachers and other 
public employees to assert values on how to manage schools and government. 
And we don’t even trust public employees to judge one another. This “perfect 
mistrust” of authority has led to powerlessness at the top, and 
unaccountability everywhere."

"With devastating clarity, THE LOST ART OF DRAWING THE LINE shows how 
politically correct reforms became the enemy of freedom. In the name of 
individual rights, we took away the authority of judges, principals, teachers 
and everyone else with responsibility to do what they think is right and 
reasonable, leaving Americans victim to self-interested individuals and 
unable to influence our schools and other common institutions. Mincing no 
words, Howard reveals how we must wrest control away from shortsighted, 
self-interested groups and give it back to people who are accountable to all 
of us. Only then can America, once again, be the land of the free."