42 lines
2.2 KiB
Plaintext
42 lines
2.2 KiB
Plaintext
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A Fable: (unfortunately true)
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by Michael P. Andrews (c) 1982
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In the early days of public transportation, there were streetcars. They made
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noise and were wide open. On hot days, sweaty people got on them. And the air
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raced through and cooled the people as they rode to their jobs in the steel
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mills. The streetcars were powered by hay and emitted a little air pollution
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and a lot of ground pollution.
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But progress solved these problems. Streetcars were replaced by buses. Now
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the people were out of the rain. And on hot days sweaty people got on the buses
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and the open windows cooled them as went to their jobs keeping small books for
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small businesses. The buses ran on gasoline and emitted much air pollution.
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But progress solved these problems. The buses were air-conditioned to keep
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the pollution outside. And on hot days sweaty people would ride on these in
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modern, carefree comfort and the air-conditioner would cool them as they rode to
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their jobs keeping big computers for big companies.
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But the EPA solved this problem. The EPA ordered that windows on the new
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buses should be sealed to save energy. The people rode these buses in isolated
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bliss to their jobs keeping very big computers for multi-national corporations.
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But Murphy solved this problem. The air-conditioners on 25% of these new,
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modern buses never worked. And because the windows were sealed people rode in
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sultry, miserable, smelly, and intolerable heat. The people would dream
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wantonly for the coolness of a steel mill.
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But progress solved this problem. The authorities invented a tool to hold the
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emergency escape windows open. The buses went merrily along the boulevards,
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windows flapping like a steely green pteradactyl. And the people put up with
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the incessant noise. At least they could breathe as they rode to their jobs,
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keeping very large computers for multinational corporations.
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But progress solved this problem. New buses were ordered without air
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conditioning, but with windows that open. And the people cheered as they rode
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to their jobs keeping very large computers for a gigantic multinational
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corporate information service that was taking over the government.
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Moral: To really screw things up it takes a bureaucrat.
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