DEAD WOOD AT THE TOP | 2002-06-29
In 1886, Doestoyevski described one of his characters
"...an official who, in various Petersburg ministries and departments, had established the sort of career (from) which, owing to their rank and years of service, they cannot be dismissed, even though they are clearly unfit for any responsible work...therefore they receive fictitious appointments, especially designed for them, and by no means fictitious salaries of (enormous size) on which they live to a ripe old age."
Well over a century ago he described every powerful expert in America today!
Nothing social science professors demand ever WORKS. No academic ever lost a dime for that reason. They live very well, thank you, as "Experts" in fields they invent. They give us nothing in return.
Why should they?
The same is more or less true of all our experts
For example, no political expert ever ceases to be a highly-paid political expert, and here is why
If you are a highly-paid political expert, only campaigns with lots of money can afford you. If the only campaigns you are in are the ones where there is lots of money, you will almost always win. In two-sided big-money campaigns, the few times you lose are no problem for your reputation.
So disaster after disaster occurs and we never lose confidence in our dead wood at the top. No, it is just "a wake up call" for them.
Today every security expert is getting a promotion because they let September 11 happen.
So why the hell should they wake up?