[MD] freedom is for the rich

[craigerb at comcast.net]

[David B to gav]
> a lot of work to me seems unnecessary...why do you think these static patterns of non-useful work
> have arisen?

David B & gav,
PMBI  (Pardon My Butting In), the short answer is that you think the work unnecessary, but you are only 1/6,000,000,000th of the thinkers, each having their own experiences & analogs.
The long answer is more complex.  Work can be categorized along a spectrum:
1) Productive work that is the best option
2) Productive work that is cost effective, but not the best option
3) Productive work that is not cost effective
4) Non-productive work
5) Counter-productive work
Category 2) exists in part because not everyone has the information, imagination, etc. to find the optimal solution.  Also, there is the inertia of "we've always done it this way."
David has already pointed out an example of 3):  An employee might not bring in enough profit to cover the expense of employing him.  But since his manager receives a percentage of his sales, she keeps him on even though the business as a whole is worse off.
An example of 4) might be laws (see MoQ archives "French ingredient in the soup of sentiments", April 2006) or union "featherbedding" rules that make eliminating unneccessary jobs impossible.
Craig