Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News: "The Mediocre Frat Boy Theory of Life"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4075507,00.html

When politicians pay off friends, financial supporters, campaign workers, and other assorted hangers on by giving them government jobs, the distributors of such gifts need to keep in mind that certain positions should be reserved for people who actually know what they're doing. In particular, any job where poor performance is likely to end up killing people ought to be staffed by someone who is qualified to do it, or who is at least competent enough to recognize that he isn't qualified, so that he can surround himself with people who are.

Everyone who has gone to college, whether that college was Central West Northeastern State or Yale, remembers the spoiled rich kids who lazed their way to gentlemen's C's while waiting to take their appointed positions in Daddy's firm. (Indeed, a key factor in the otherwise inexplicable enthusiasm so many privileged people have for affirmative action is their inside knowledge of how much of their own social privilege has been inherited rather than earned).

The Mediocre Frat Boy Theory of Life predicts that a lot of incompetent people are going to be promoted to positions they have no business holding. And, as long as the spotlight doesn't shine too brightly, they may well hold onto such positions for years and decades, protected by the same factors that put them into those jobs in the first place, while talented subordinates labor to compensate for the deadweight at the top.

For obvious reasons the Mediocre Frat Boy Theory of Life will seem least plausible to those who have benefited from it the most. President Bush, for instance, would probably dismiss it out of hand.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4075507,00.html

[leftofthedial]

1. wow. RMN is the farther right of the two RW Denver fishwraps

[JAbuchan08]

3. Sometimes Campos is good

of course sometimes he's absolutely awful, but he beats the heck out of Vince Carroll who has apparently granted himself a column called "on point" that's all about providing right-wing talking points (with, of course no column from the left for balance)

[bluestateguy]

2. I have a lot of mediocre frat boys as students

and they seem to be the only students who still support this war.

[newscott]

4. Yet they appear to be smart enough to avoid signing up.