>>Change may be good, but its results aren't always. Example: the current banking crisis. Not sure how that fits into the model of conservatism as compulsory bogeyman. ;-)
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>Somewhere I have a framed copy of an old cartoon from "Punch" where the character Colonel Blimp says "Egad, Sir. Reform's alright - as long as it doesn't *change* anything!" <bg>

Not on point to your message but I heard on NPR driving home from work earlier this evening that the CIA is targeting out of work Wall Streeters with recruiting ads. According to the NPR reporter they want to head off financial terrorists and think they have just the number crunchers in mind to do it. She mentioned that the 85K-130K salary range might be a problem for the targeted hedge fund traders, but given their present circumstances....

It's funny how little salary has to do with job satisfaction, isn't it? Of course it's always there, and probably more so the older we get. Even then I felt good performance is eventually rewarded. It just wasn't the main thing. I can honestly say the happiest I have ever been professionally was a time when I was making something like 28K. Even adjusting for inflation I wasn't getting rich. I was on fire and income probably wasn't even in the top 5 on the radar. I loved developing software and someone was willing to pay me more than a living wage to do it. I was hooked. When you hire someone with passion for what they're doing, and some reasonable degree of aptitude, you're 95% of the way there.