DOESN'T ANYONE KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS MESS? A Parable of Values By Laura
		There was a time when automobiles came with owner's manuals. New car owners faithfully studied the manual, eager to get the most trouble-free miles out of their machine. They know that using oil of the right weight would best protect the engine. They followed the manufacturer's recommendations for oil filters to a tee, and their cars ran well most of the time and lasted for years.    But a few people thought the owner's manual was ridiculous. Following all those tedious rules was a waste of effort. Most of them didn't admit that they were not following the owner's manual. They just didn't think changing the oil at the proper mileage would really matter. So what if they put water in the gas tank and gas in the radiator, they thought. The only purpouse for the owner's manual was to take all the fun out of owning a car.    This benign neglect worked for awhile, but then their cars began breaking down. The engine would blow up in one, the transmission failed in another. Accidents became more frequent because brakes and steering were not kept in good repair. Occasionally those who ignored the manual looked wistfully at the majority who followed the manufacturer's guidelines, but surely the conscientious car owners weren't having any fun because they spent so much time taking care of their cars. What the independent owners didn't notice was how much better the cars of those who followed the owner's manual ran.    As time went on, more and more people handled their automobiles their own way. There got to be so many of them that it seemed like most of the cars on the road were breaking down regularly. “It isn’t fair,” they would say. “We have all the high repair bills to pay. Those other people should help us out.” And so it was that the minority who carefully followed the owner’s manual in caring for their automobiles were taxed to help pay for the problems of the others’ cars.    As those who followed the owner’s manual became fewer and fewer, it was suggested that the owner’s manual be outlawed. Even the manufacturer came into question. “Those people have no right to tell us how to use our automobiles. How dare they impose a rule that says we change oil in our cars every 3,000 miles. That’s unreasonable. We have our rights! We can do what we want with our cars.” While the manuals were not outlawed, laws were made that ignored their existence. Owner’s manuals were seldom used; most collected dust in attics and on high bookshelves, and they certainly were not to be accepted as “the” way to operate automobiles. Everyone was free to choose their own method of caring for their automobiles. After all, you just can’t legislate something that only affects the owner.    And the trend continued until streets and highways were jammed with broken down automobiles. People would miss work because of it. Children wouldn’t make it to school. Roads became a tangle of dysfunctional automobiles, and no one seemed to remember how to remedy the problems. A few brave souls suggested checking the owner’s manual to see what could be done to keep the cars running better, but that was a heretical idea and certainly just one person’s idea of how a car should be operated. Everyone else’s idea was just as valid.    So the country became and endless heap of broken down cars and wrecked automobiles, and people asked, “Doesn’t anyone know how to fix this mess?”