Joseph and List, those tone producing pieces of furniture Seen in a recent Costco mailer: "Suzuki pianos... Furniture you can play!" Score one for truth in advertising? Alan Eder -----Original Message----- From: Joseph Alkana <josephspiano at comcast.net> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Wed, Nov 3, 2010 6:59 am Subject: Re: [pianotech] Medical costs (OT!) piano care and costs on topic So, David, Susan, et al, you would behappy making a salary dictated by Washington for your services or products andstill keep up that attitude of blind commitment to your business and customer?Where would your incentive come from to try and be the best at what you do –and get what you think is just compensation for it? You’re dreaming. I alsowant to provide the best service and product possible so I can not only scratchthat itch for personal satisfaction of a job well done and service for mycustomer and community, but also to blow away the competition by my continuedstriving for excellence for which I will charge a premium for and for which mycustomers will gladly pay. I have high regard for technicians who are able towork under the terms imposed by our colleges and universities. Salaried, withlittle hope of greater reward than the job itself. Which, while admirable inconcept, doesn’t appeal to some, nor is it practical for all in the industry.And that’s OK, because it’s OK for them by choice. There isthe big difference in philosophy, as the ‘private’ sector can befree, at least for now, to let the market dictate what their incomes willeventually be. Personally I cannot imagine not having the choice every workingday to approach the market place with a totally free ability to earn or notearn as my God given talents and abilities allow. Yes, by all means let’s have staterun factories for the production of pianos, where all workers are paid not byhow they perform on the job and the quality of the merchandise created, butpaid just because they are there breathing air and they darn well deserve to bepaid by the rest of us to produce those tone producing pieces of furniture. Andat prices dictated by the state so we’ll all have an equal chance to owna Schteinwaima model Big. Let’s make sure that all the pianoservice people are also ‘protected’ by a minimum wage, dictated bythe state, of course, so that there is no unfair competition or possibility ofprice gouging. If it takes you three hours to tune a piano because you want itabsolutely the best it can be, which might also include some service to make itperform better but your fellow technician down the block only takes 30 minutesfor all pianos he sees, never mind: You both will be paid the same. Sameprocedure, same pay. Can’t be any collusion either between a tech and hiscustomer for any extras needing a little pay under the table to facilitate. Naughty.Hillary will make sure that you will be penalized for doing that. Prospective piano industry workers at alllevels would be given little choice in how their education is realized: Mostwill wait for openings as dictated by the state based on voter feedback. Notall skills will be maintained, such as chisel sharpening. Formed plasticbridges can suffice for the majority, hence the skill set required will go theway of the buggy whip. Progress. Besides, the state will recognize early onthat piano service, not any rebuilding or manufacturing ideal, will be in thegreatest demand. Therefore standards will be relaxed and examinations tailoredto enable as many as possible into the realm of guaranteed wages. Of course, no other industries would berequired to adhere to these standards: A person with tremendous shop skills,such as chisel sharpening or bicycle riding would be considered prime candidatesto pursue free market endeavors. (After all, those are worthy subjects to be discussedon such a forum as this one.) Before long there will be no competenttechnicians or piano related skill sets worth pursuing, since the compensationwould all be cast in stone by the statists you continue to elect and make youfeel good by the doling out of ‘free’ everything to theunqualified, unappreciative and unworthy. On the bright side, there would continueto be a demand for these piano related skills: For a while, until themediocrity and incompetency grinds the whole industry to a halt. But you wouldmake a lot of really mediocre people happy in the meantime because they get todraw a regular salary paid for by your wallet and mine in the name ofbenefiting all of piano playing mankind. Yes, I want one of those mediocre, ill-trained,uninspired dupes to work on the innards of my piano. Yeah, sure, you betcha., There, at least I stayed on the topic ofpianos, eh? Gag. It’s time to go pay myinsurance bills. Joseph Alkana RPT (Retired) Personally, I want a doctor (or piano technician if Iwere looking for one) whose attitude and commitment to what he does has himthinking more about me than himself. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org[mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On BehalfOf Joseph Alkana Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 201011:04 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] Medicalcosts (OT!) was:billing dilemma Sorry Susan,but when I'm stretched out on the table with my heart literally in a physician'shands I want a person who has studied the most, practiced the most and who hasthe best record of achievement working on me. I want a person who has thebiggest ego, largest demands for grandiose lfestyle - whatever - to be weildingthat scalpel. If it takes huge bucks to entice such people into the rarifiedheights of heart surgery, then so be it! Why, I know a few technicians whoseegos need to be similarly scratched to keep them in the field of pianotechnology. Rationing dollars to those who have a need to excell will dilutethe quality of any endeavor, and definitely smacks of socialism. It's alreadyhappening, this is not new. 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