[lug] Anyone else hate to get rid of old equipment?

[Maxwell Spangler]

On Tue, 2010-05-25 at 13:18 -0700, Dru Whitledge wrote:
> Jeeze, I hate to even contemplate incurring the  wrath of the tea 
> party or the right wing reptilian republicans -- but isn't this a 
> perfect function for "bigger government" -- at least a little bigger 
> -- at  minimum managing the information part ??
> 
> Free markets (and I like free markets, I really like 'em) can and 
> will do the job eventually, but  are obviously (and historically) 

Thousands of years of humanity have gone by and we see the same
problems: waste, corruption, tyranny, greed.

Will a shift of responsibility from government to business via
unregulated markets change this?  Will a shift of responsibility from
business to government via more regulation change this?  I don't know..
Probably depends on the specific industry and situation.

The true solution is individuals recognizing right and doing so,
recognizing wrong and avoiding it, and showing leadership to others by
sharing these values and guiding others to follow them.

This discussion on recycling our computers is important because it
allows each of us as individuals to make a choice to do the right thing.
If we start there and continue it with leadership -- sharing and guiding
others to do the same -- we will effect real change in society.

Somewhere along the way people join government and accept slow pace,
waste and ineffective behaviours and it gets in the way of their ability
to do the right thing.  Somewhere along the way people join business and
accept spending less money on safety, accident prevention and accident
recovery and it gets in the way of their ability to do the right thing.
Years later a coal mine explodes and workers die or an oil rig explodes
and the situation cannot be contained.  People blame the business,
people blame government, but I wonder whether these would have happened
if individuals defined their values and stuck to them despite the
organizations they work within.  Doing this is the real challenge.

To me, how we deal with small issues today like recycling computers sets
the stage for how we deal with bigger challenges in the future.  I
choose to consume less, reuse and recycle, and I choose to dispose of
toxic things in the best way I know.  I do so because I recognize it is
right.

Imagine what the world would be like if they had my conviction and went
on to operate coal mines and oil rigs.  Could we deal with less
government regulation? Absolutely!  But unfortunately I observe that my
convictions are in the minority theses days so I'm satisfied with a fair
amount of regulations to keep less principled people in check.

PS. Glad to be part of a group of people who invest in such spirited
discussion!

-- 
Maxwell Spangler
========================================================================
        Linux, Unix and Database Administration
        Currently: Boulder, Colorado
        LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellspangler