[PEN-L:2304] Re: Re: Red Cross versus govt. collection of blood

[david dorkin <ddorkin@xxxxxxx>]

Top graduates in France from their Grandes Ecoles almost always go into
government service. Almost every minister you can think of there is
aproduct of this system

Michael Perelman wrote:
>
> Some time ago, the Nation ran a piece showing that Elizabeth Dole used
> the Red Cross tofurther her husband's political career.
>
> Even so, Brad is correct that you would want to create a public spirit,
> but the government seems to be a good place to start -- at least within
> the confines of our current system.  The problem is that we do not hire
> good people to enter government, but instead we hire careerists.
>
> I understand that in Britain the top graduates of their universities
> went into government; the lesser people settled for academia and
> business.  My source might have been wrong, but it is an interesting
> concept with regard to public service.
>
> Also, we would have to open government up to [an this contradicts my
> last point to some degree] all kinds of people, and not just elites.  In
> a meritocracy, there might not be a contradiction.
>
> Ken Hanly wrote:
>
> > Brad De Long better not come to Canada and suggest that the Red
> > Cross is a good agency to collect and distribute blood! The Red
> > Cross collected plasma from US prisons and managed to give AIDS
> > to a number of haemophiliacs and others. THe Red Cross managed to
> > destroy the credibility of the blood collection system and made
> > it necessary to set up a new agency. The government has just been
> > stuck with the task of compensating victims.
> >     Cheers, Ken Hanly
>
> --
>
> Michael Perelman
> Economics Department
> California State University
> michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Chico, CA 95929
> 530-898-5321
> fax 530-898-5901