17.1.02023

Feature photo: booth at the CMT

coffee

Today, after my repetition and the spontaneous cleaning of a publicly accessible coffee machine, there was a coffee. What was special about my interlocutor was Detlef Stern. This time it was almost not about project management anymore, because we both had probably said far too much about that in the last few weeks. For me, however, it remains exciting, namely how "my" students will do now. Right now I don't know what I could have done better. And so I have to wait for the results of the exam and then evaluate them.

And tomorrow we'll continue with a Zettelkasten round - you don't treat yourself to anything else. To my shame I have to admit that in the last few days I have neglected both reading the books I have laid out and filling my own slip box. But what I will do more again as soon as I have finished the exam; I'm just trying to figure out the best way to do this.

Employees

The political establishment in particular always has more employees than is necessary at all. And the days when a member of parliament got along with a secretary are long gone. If it is good for the quality of politics, then no one can object if there are more employees. And as long as they don't try to generate themselves as MPs or even take part in parliamentary votes for the MPs, the world is still halfway okay.

Although these employees are also all supported by us as citizens, they remain the responsibility of the respective elected representatives of the people - and if they are no longer there, the costs for the corresponding employees are also eliminated. Sometimes these employees are then passed on to the successors, which can certainly make sense.

Unfortunately, things have turned out quite differently in the meantime! Not only politicians who have been voted out remain in the political apparatus, whether the voters want it or not, and increasingly find a good living alongside the political apparatus itself in ministries and administrations as well as state-owned companies, but more and more care is taken to ensure that their Employees get past all training and qualification measures in ministries and administrations in offices and functions.

And so it is also completely understandable that today precisely those citizens who have learning and performance problems position themselves for the highest administrative offices via the political establishment — the parties — and then also receive them. It is only a matter of time before the last administrative staff or ministry officials who still got into their functions and offices with sound professional training or even after being selected from the best will retire.

It would make sense today, when our administrative apparatuses are being completely reinvented and they have to work as efficiently as possible, not to look at the party register, party proportional representation, party quotas or the power of individual MPs when selecting future employees.

It makes perfect sense that those citizens who have successfully completed our education and training system and who also have the necessary qualifications for work in the ministry and the administration are obliged to do so.

Jobs in party headquarters and party-affiliated foundations should be provided for MPs who the citizens no longer want or for their employees who no other MPs want - this could well be described as a social component or obligation of the parties. However, if the parties come to the conclusion that these party members cannot be used productively there or that there is even a risk that they will cause damage there, then there should be absolutely no question that these people should then be employed in our administrations or even ministries disposed of!

Trade fair

I spent yesterday mainly at the CMT in Stuttgart. The reason for this had nothing to do with tourism, leisure or travel, but it was a very appealing day, which I was able to spend with some very interesting and productive conversations.

And there was also a little time to marvel at the offers there. It's impressive when you find mobile homes there that you can drive into yourself or that you have to climb using ladders like in a knight's castle. But here, too, the question arises as to who actually needs something like this and isn't it a bit oversized, especially when you look a little beyond your own fence at the rest of the world - for which a travel fair would actually be ideally suited .

And so I imagine the whole thing as an armada of gigantic mobile homes rolling through the slums of this world and then driving together in a group of wagons in the evening so that we can celebrate local customs in exotic countries undisturbed. But without any ifs and buts, these things were impressive, even in the somewhat slimmed-down versions.

And since these are usually only used to block the view of one's own bungalow or, after a short promenade over a few country roads into Heilbronn, serve to eat improved ice cream in Heilbronn's pedestrian zone, I can get used to them, since this flourishing branch of industry serves to preserve jobs and the economy and also prevents a few sprightly pensioners from becoming more and more involved in politics and society.

I was even more amazed at what is understood by sustainable travel today and even camping without the luxury of a four-star hotel seems to be almost non-existent anymore. So it didn't surprise me that the upcoming vacation days on the farm were toasted in style with slightly oversized wine snifters; should I stop by there myself, I expect that goats and pigs are at least dressed in Gucci.

As it should be for a public fair, it was more than very well attended, and one can then ask oneself whether we actually have any problems in Germany at all? — apart from maybe the fact that skiing isn't going so well this year; but only for the few of us who don't want to do that with the helicopter and the glacier.

That's why I understand my readers, who occasionally accuse me of polemics or even sarcasm and advise me to hold back a little more when criticizing — especially when I allow myself to call those responsible by their names.

There is no question that we are all doing far too well! Just how much longer?

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reading recommendation

Peter Adder writes today aboutScience should fix it“. His conclusions include:

“Even scientific 'facts' are opinions, albeit well-founded, in contrast to many personal opinions. Opinions are statements without any "guarantee of truth". Opinions are even statements whose truth content can neither be verified nor falsified, e.g. B. because they are formulated in a wrong logic. So why should we be outraged by other opinions?”

Peter Adder, Science should judge (17.1.2023)