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Title: THE PETER PRINCIPLE: GOVERNMENT INCOMPETENCE EXPLAINED [FROM "THE ZEN OF MOTORCYCLING"]
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URL Source: http://www.geocities.com/american_m ... association/crashcures.html#m5
Published: May 18, 2007
Author: AMA
Post Date: 2007-05-18 22:19:16 by IndieTX
Keywords: None
Views: 100
Comments: 6
In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence How can the government fumble its efforts at rider education so badly? The Peter Principle—Why Things Always Go Wrong, is a book written by Dr. Lawrence Peter, drawing upon his bureaucratic experiences working for the government in the teaching profession, and his scientific research into psychology. Writer Raymond Hull provided his marketing expertise. Initially, the book was censored by bureaucratic publishers who perhaps felt that it hit a little too close to home. After many years of marketing the concept of the Peter Principle via lectures and speeches, a publisher was found in 1969 (William Morrow & Company, Inc.). Elimination of inept bureaucracies was their idealistic goal. As Mr. Hull noticed during his career as a journalist, "Everywhere I see incompetence rampant, incompetence triumphant. . . . Education, often touted as a cure for all ills, is apparently no cure for incompetence. Incompetence runs riot in the halls of education." After hearing Dr. Peter's theories, he felt that mismanagement and quackery could finally be explained, and hopefully, eradicated. The Peter Principle is the antithesis of Machiavellian principles. The former works for the forces of good, the latter for supporters of evil. Most citizens have never studied either—they presume "learning" is what they did in government school—and they fall prey to both dangers. Dr. Peter places his Principle ahead of Machiavelli's conspiracy techniques as the most likeliest of explanations, yet admits that when a violent government gets involved in subduing the citizens, anything is possible. The authors explain: "In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties. . . . Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence." In any bureaucracy, employees do not rise to their most skilled position, they get promoted one step above it. No one wants to admit that this has occurred (nor do they desire a pay cut), so the newly impotent employee stays were he is. He is not demoted back to his level of expertise (where he would be happiest). His punishment is to be barred from further promotion, or perhaps to be "kicked upstairs" into a non-existent job where he can practice his mismanagement in private (and in personal misery). Even when disaster befalls the organization (the spacecraft explodes, the corporation goes bankrupt (53% of businesses fail due to managerial incompetence), the war is lost, the government is overthrown, riders are not warned about countersteering, etc.), the growing army of bungling employees continue their busywork. Ordinary incompetence does not result in dismissal, since the employee is on time, fills in the paperwork "properly" (perhaps recommending that more forms ought to be required), doesn't make any waves, etc. Only grossly incompetent employees are weeded out. A competent employee will be promoted until he becomes incompetent (unless he is smart enough to recognize his limits and have the guts to decline that final promotion to purgatory. Dr. Peter advises must strive to "just say no" to the rat race—and to the diseases that go with such high-pressure "success"—and to simply start living life.) In a bureaucracy, super-competence disrupts the hierarchy. Brilliant initiative results in an employee being terminated for alleged insubordination, regardless of getting outstanding results or profits. (His customers and/or subordinates may be thrilled, but his coworkers and "superiors" are humiliated.) The super-competents do tend to get the last laugh, however, since they often find an enterprising way to bypass lesser mortals. Peter and Hull write: "Why the confusion? Many of the experts have actually reached their level of incompetence: their advice is nonsical or irrelevant. Some of them have sound theories, but are unable to put them in effect. In any event, neither sound nor unsound proposals can be carried out efficiently, because the machinery of government is a vast series of interlocking hierarchies, riddled through and through with incompetence." Dr. Peter understands first-hand how government education systems promote most students to their own level of incompetence. This is accomplished by holding a student at his "failing" grade level, rather than returning him to his competent grade level (the same as employees who are not demoted). Since this system does not work, failing students are merely passed on up through the school system, often enduring incompetent teachers. Tens of millions graduate without the ability to read, write or do arithmetic. "Graduates" of the government's Motorcycle Rider Education Program who receive a motorcycle operator license risk a similar fate. The government, through its Motorcycle Rider Education Program, apparently has little or no concept of countersteering, and makes no attempt to explain to citizens about centrifugal force or gyroscopic precession and how they influence leaning of the machine. In words, this state's 1996 Motorcycle Operator Manual (valued by the government at 31 cents) apparently teaches riders how to crash every single time they attempt to change lanes or negotiate a curve: "To lean the motorcycle, push on the handgrip in the direction of the turn. Push left—lean left—go left. Push right—lean right—go right." (Push what handgrip left—push what handgrip right?) This is the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's definition for "countersteering." However, a picture paints a thousand words, and unlike the MSF's publications, the government's artist-rendered examples of a motorcyclist in action are absolutely dead wrong. Instead of illustrating countersteering, the government artist shows a rider steering as if riding a tricycle or driving a car: steering in the same direction of the turn (anti-countersteering). Nowhere is the term countersteering used—although Prohibition is promoted for seven full pages—nine pages in the Driver Handbook—for example: "Strictly speaking, a driver can register a BAC of 0.00% and still be convicted of DUI." Out of the 50 pages of the Motorcycle Operator's Manual, only one full page is devoted to steering the machine, as if this life-saving concept is too complicated for stupid citizens. (Or is it too complicated for stupid government employees?) Educational diagrams are completely lacking, although 34 illustrations are given on other topics, supplementing the 90 illustrations in the Driver Handbook for reading the government's self-explanatory roadsigns. Tens of thousands more lives would be saved by focusing on critical riding skills for however long it took to explain them properly. At least it would give people a chance to survive. It certainly deserves just as much explanation as Prohibition, and would definitely save thousands more lives every year. Actually, Prohibition can be condensed into one sentence in order to save printing costs: "If you have had any alcohol, illegal drugs or medications in a 24 hour period, the government will arrest you and prosecute you for the crime of DWI, with a 99% chance that you will be convicted, since the government has seen to it that all your civil rights have been taken away. Besides, you probably cannot afford American justice. Welcome to Prohibition. We are a corrupt bureaucracy declaring war on its own citizens, and don't you ever forget it." The government censors the word "Prohibition" just as it censors the word "countersteering." Although the government's handbooks are useful reading, an intelligent citizen must learn to read between the lines. This vague anti-countersteering technique, taught by the government, will kill every single citizen who unwittingly chooses to use it. All motorcycle and bicycle riders must subconsciously learn the reality of countersteering—indeed, they will find it impossible to get from point A to point B if they don't. If a rider does not have an intellectual grasp of this concept, in an emergency situation, he will probably turn the handlebars in the direction he wants to go, losing control. This government misinformation is guaranteed to result in a very serious crash. The government perpetuates yet another deadly myth to the trusting public. Correct methods of riding ought to be hammered into the public's consciousness, not buried in oblivion. The typical crash is preceded by two seconds of avoidance options, but this is obviously too short a period to suddenly learn the facts of countersteering. Many situations give a rider less time. Traveling at 60 miles per hour with a forty-foot gap to the car in front only gives a rider half a second to take avoiding action if road debris suddenly appears from under that vehicle. A shredded retread off a tractor-trailer rig is difficult to avoid for a napping motorist, unskilled in his craft. A couple of times I have taken avoiding action to miss animals in the road, while having to watch in my mirrors the car behind take no such action and run over the hapless creatures (once while other motorists had stopped and were trying to reach the frightened animal). Animals aren't the only victims. Deer kill more people than any "man-eating" predator. One motorcyclist hit a deer, which merely served to incite the animal to road rage, impaling the rider on his antlers (retold by an anonymous police officer in "Police on Patrol," by Linda Kleinschmidt). This is one more reason to wear leathers. Drivers who cannot avoid animals lack the same skills required for avoiding children and adult pedestrians. Paradoxically, the government does give an esoteric briefing on "swerving," which is its "lip service" tribute to the MSF's explanation of "two consecutive countersteers." Five sentences are dedicated to this life-saving subject, although it is allegedly not intended for normal riding (it is not in the same section of the booklet). The government says: "Apply a small amount of hand pressure to the handgrip located on the side of your intended direction of escape. This will get the motorcycle to lean quickly. . . . Press on the opposite handgrip to return you to your original direction of travel. To swerve to the left, push the left handgrip, then push the right to recover. To swerve to the right, push right, then left." No diagrams are given. No explanation of in-track/out-track steering, centrifugal force or gyroscopic precession is given. The terms countersteering and double-countersteering are not used. In the Knowledge Test at the conclusion of the Motorcycle Operator Manual, question number 3 reads: "To swerve correctly—push the handgrip in the direction of the turn." This does not sound like countersteering. The "wrong" answer reads: "push the handgrip in the opposite direction of the turn." Which handgrip? What if the citizen confused "handgrip" with "handlebar," a common mistake? This question is identical to what was required on the government's motorcycle license test. No illustration was given to clarify the test question, either. When it comes to rider-driver training, ambiguity can kill. Actually, the subconscious method most untrained people use is to "pull" the opposite handgrip, since the body is stronger and more stable this way, rather than attempt to "push" one's self off the back of the rapidly moving, wind-swept machine. Without realizing what they are doing, uneducated riders instinctively pull the opposite bar to hold themselves up when they lean into a turn—the danger comes when they attempt to think about it in an emergency situation. Pushing the left handgrip away from you in order to turn left does work. A combination of pushing the right handgrip away and pulling the left handgrip towards you can give maximum strength and feeling of control. Whatever works for the individual is what's best for him, so long as he understands the concept of countersteering. When the government's deadly riding technique does not work, it blames the citizen. The Operator Manual reads: "Riders often try to take curves too fast. When they can't hold the turn, they end up crossing into another lane of traffic or going off the road." Without knowledge of countersteering, riders don't stand a chance, and the government's admonition becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. If the rider notices that the curve in the highway is tightening up, that is to say a decreasing radius curve, or if it is off-camber, he must countersteer again to lean the machine over even further. If the foot peg drags, hanging off can increase turn rate without increasing lean angle. Slowing down makes the bike want to go vertical (highside) due to inertia and centrifugal force (like a pole vaulter), which is the opposite response required. Paradoxically, accellerating helps, even when the rider wishes he were going slower, since this extends the front and rear suspensions, giving maximum ground clearance and increasing the lean angle before the foot peg drags the asphalt. Slowing down compresses the suspension springs and reduces needed ground clearance. Accellerating also improves the grip of the rear tire, and prevents overloading the smaller front tire, thanks to weight transfer. The first rule of cornering is that once the throttle is opened up, speed must continue to build. Although street riders can often get away with coasting through a turn, the bike is actually slowing down due to tire friction (unless it is downhill), which forces the bike to try to stand up vertical. This is not good. Never back off a throttle in a turn. You never know when this bad habit might come back to haunt you. Using engine compression for rear-wheel braking also makes the bike want to go vertical, and wears out tires, engines and drivetrains prematurely. (It is best to hold in the clutch lever instead.) This is one more reason to learn how to countersteer as quickly as possible, since that gives a rider more options to work with through the rest of the corner. Actually, the quicker a rider can get leaned over, the less total lean angle he requires for the remainder of the turn (he has more time at maximum lean angle). He has: more ground clearance more spare lean angle more safety cushion for accelleration more concentration leftover, since the hard part is finished, and most importantly more fun. The less confidence a rider has in his ability to lean the motorcycle, the earlier he will try to begin turning into a corner. This "creates" a dangerous decreasing radius corner out of a normal corner. (diagram quick c/s = reduced lean angle in 90 degree curve (a) 45 degree c/s = 40 degree lean for 10 degrees [40+40+10=90] (b) 30 degree c/s = 30 degree lean for 30 degrees [30+30+30=90] (c) 20 degree c/s = 20 degree lean for 50 degrees [20+20+50=90] "Quick countersteering reduces maximum lean angle" Maximum lean angle ought to be achieved within the first third of the corner. Once maximum lean angle is achieved, the throttle ought to be opened slightly, and increased slowly throughout the remainder of the curve. Motorcycle tires are engineered to provide maximum cornering grip when the bike's weight is proportional to the size of each tire. It's just common sense. The rear tire is larger than the front tire, so it ought to carry the majority of the load. The ideal weight distribution is 40% on the front tire, and 60% on the rear tire. This cannot occur unless the bike is accellerating, since the weight distribution of a cruising bike is 50/50. A steady throttle means the bike is slowing down in the turn, due to tire friction. Also, when a bike is leaned over, the tire is running on its sidewall and the gear ratio is effectively changed, giving a speedometer error (and engine sound) that fools the rider into believing he is maintaining speed. One more reason to add throttle throughout the turn. (illustration--50/50 static wt distribution=300lb/300lb + 40/60 in corner 240/360) A final word about cornering: relax. Holding onto the handlebars with stiff arms: ruins the rider's ability to countersteer ruins the bike's ability to self-steer due to steering trail and caster effect amplifies bumps and wobbles reduces braking performance and makes the wheels more likely to lock up. (That's why a sport bike has a tall gas tank for the rider to lean on instead of the handlebars.) Panicking in a cornering situation is a major cause of wrecks, since the uneducated rider attempts to: steer without countersteering brake and/or reduce throttle tenses his arms, resulting in either a "highside" launch over the top of the bike or running out of road. If the government would teach people the correct riding methods, riders would be in greater control and be much less inclined to crash. Lives would be saved. Another potentially deadly bit of hypocritically stupid advice the government dishes out: "Remember, passes must be completed within posted speed limits." This behavior would succeed at exposing a citizen to greater risk of a head-on collision due to the increased time spent in the oncoming traffic lane, if he chose to obey the bureaucrats. Except for passing tractors moving at 15 miles per hour, this advice/law is ludicrous and dangerous. The government's handbook declares: "The Department of Safety developed this manual to help you become a better motorcycle rider. . . . Motorcycling is a wonderful way to enjoy our beautiful Arcania highways and byways. Just remember, take responsibility for your own safety. We hope you will become the best rider you can be while always obeying Arcania's traffic laws." This introductory letter was autographed by both Governor Don Sundquist and the safety commissioner. Apparently, these government employees hold the opinion that their bureaucratic laws override the laws of physics.
Poster Comment: A anice anti-government rant mixed in with some good M/C safety info. More good articles on the same link above on safe motorcycling also mixed in with anti-government ranting and even some anti-Prohibition rants!! Very nice combinations for you other bikers on 4UM!! Enjoy!
—Dr. Lawrence J. Peter 
Deadly MSF drawing as used in Tennessessee Motorcycle Handbook
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#1. To: All (#0)
ain't it typical? ;) Your tax dollars at work.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition ain't it typical? ;) Your tax dollars at work. Yes, govt employees are notoriously incompetent.
"Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." ~George Washington
Speaking as a car driver, I can say that any small and fast animal which comes in front of me is dead meat. In a situation where I have one second or less to take evasive action, I'm not going to risk totalling my car in a ditch or steering into oncoming traffic at 65+ mph because some idiot dog came leaping out of a tree at me. Big, slow animals like cows can easily be avoided, and deer usually give a few seconds' notice so I can slow down and correct for their mistakes.
The "Department of Defense" has never won a war. The "War Department" was undefeated.
smart driver bump
I went for years without hitting any kind of animal, then I got my "new" (1997) Saab Turbo a little over a year ago. For the first couple of months, I was hitting an animal every 3 weeks--I couldn't believe it! It got to the point where I wanted to start stamping animal silhouettes outside my driver's side window, like the WWII fighter pilots... I wasn't going any faster than I had before, but it seemed animals were just "drawn" to it. About half the time, there's no evidence of the animal in my rear-view mirror, either. I don't know if they're being vaporized, or tangled in my undercarriage, or what...
The "Department of Defense" has never won a war. The "War Department" was undefeated.
Funny visual. You'll usually feel the "bump" if you pancake a critter - otherwise assume that they dodged the bullet, so to speak.
In words, this state's 1996 Motorcycle Operator Manual (valued by the government at 31 cents) apparently teaches riders how to crash every single time they attempt to change lanes or negotiate a curve....
#2. To: IndieTX (#1)
In words, this state's 1996 Motorcycle Operator Manual (valued by the government at 31 cents) apparently teaches riders how to crash every single time they attempt to change lanes or negotiate a curve....
#3. To: IndieTX (#0)
A couple of times I have taken avoiding action to miss animals in the road, while having to watch in my mirrors the car behind take no such action and run over the hapless creatures (once while other motorists had stopped and were trying to reach the frightened animal).
#4. To: Indrid Cold (#3)
Speaking as a car driver, I can say that any small and fast animal which comes in front of me is dead meat. In a situation where I have one second or less to take evasive action, I'm not going to risk totalling my car in a ditch or steering into oncoming traffic at 65+ mph because some idiot dog came leaping out of a tree at me.
#5. To: lodwick (#4)
#6. To: Indrid Cold (#5)
It got to the point where I wanted to start stamping animal silhouettes outside my driver's side window, like the WWII fighter pilots...
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