<HTML>In a message dated 6/16/03 5:17:34 PM Central Daylight= Time, fssturm@unm.edu writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT= : 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I think the best way to improve= the salary situation would be for the US Congress to establish a national, universal system of health care/insurance. </BLOCKQUOTE> I'm sorry Fred, but I'm afraid it's a lot more complicated than that. Yes, a= universal health insurance policy might help, but I don't that by itself is= going solve the problem of under paid piano technicians. What we need is a way to figure out how to convince school administrators wh= y hiring highly qualified, and thus higher paid, piano technicians is to the= ir best interest. I'm afraid just telling them that "we" are needed for arti= stic value is not going to cut it. I'm not suggesting piano need to be kept in tune only for non artistic value= s, but with most states having financial problems, a better cause and effect= needs to be shown. In other words, what I've been talking about. We need to= show how spending $50,000 a year to take care of a million dollars or more = in inventory is going to save them money in the long run. If we can come up = with a way to do that, perhaps it will raise the income level at all schools= . Wim </HTML>