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Interesting accrual of a thought, there, David. When I go back over it I'm stopped at the third sentence, "How can this be?"....Do you ever come up with answers, tentative or otherwise? Ken A On 5/14/2012 5:32 AM, David Boyd wrote: > > Similarly, in recent decades I have worked closely with the remnants > of communist East German technological industry, formerly controlled > by the Soviets, typically for their own military purposes. > > Although 'freedom' and a much-changed economic and legal order > prevails, it has ever intrigued me that the self-same individuals who > ran the place under the former DDR regime continue to do so under the > new, integrated, German Federal one. > > How can this be?, I have often speculated. When the old regime was > toppled, why weren't it's state industry managers disposed-of too? > > And, scratch the surface of the ordinary workers' perceptions and one > finds very mixed feelings about the collapse of the DDR. From > virtually zero unemployment they've gone to 20 to 30 %; decent housing > is unaffordable to everyone other than employed high-earners in the > new economy and many will tell you that they're far far worse off > financially than under the old order, and wish they had it back. > >