The Real Cause of Blackouts

[bluesbassman]

[ QUOTE ]
Watch "The Corporation" - Enron is not a bad apple - it is standard operating procedures for corporations -

you guys put way too much faith in the altrustic motives of the free market when time and time again the market is proven it cannot be trusted with the responsibility to regulate itself without seriously screwing over the American people.


[/ QUOTE ]

Nice leftist rant, but it has nothing to do with reality.

I hold a senior engineering position at a small aerospace corporation, Orbital Sciences. (We have about 2900 employees, which is small as far as aerospace companies go.) I design spacecraft in the space systems division.

Our "standard operating procedure" is to make money by producing value to our customers, in this case by making small spacecraft and launch vehicles. To do that successfully requires the highest degree of dedication and integrity at every level of the corporation. The aerospace business is competitive, and to design and build spacecraft which are technically reliable as well as profitable requires the solution of formidable engineering and managerial/fiscal problems. Any attempt to "screw over" anyone will result in painfully obvious technical or business failures (or both).

It is true my motives aren't altruistic, nor should they be. For my career to flourish along with my coworkers, we must scrupulously fulfill our obligations to our shareholders and customers. That means producing technically sound, innovative aerospace products at a competitive price.

We can debate what went wrong at Enron, but most corporations can thrive only one way: by producing genuine value, not by committing fraud or stealing. The free market will ultimately and ruthlessly punish anything else (unless a company is propped up by the government).