A young engineer who graduated with distinction was leaving the office at 3:45 p.m. when he found the acting CEO in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand. “Listen”, said the CEO, “this is a very important document, and my secretary is not here. Can you make this thing work?” “Certainly”, said the young engineer. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button. “Excellent”, said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the machine. “I just need one copy”.

The lesson: Never assume that your boss knows what he is doing. There is still another lesson from the above. Never, ever assume that your elected representative in Washington D.C. knows what he or she is doing. This is where we come in, that is, know for whom you are casting your precious vote. The community you save may be your own.

Shredding seems to be the favorite pastime activity of some. They prefer tearing up to building up. What a tragedy!