A good post but I would take exception to this line
"A tired and ugly building in a rich part of town needed recladding to look better and be more energy efficient."
Prior to the refitting the living environment in these towers was very poor, with moisture and mold problems causing documented health effects. Some needed to be done to improve them. IIRC 180 buildings have been reclad (some even with the correct stuff) and all without exception have reported major improvements in the lived in environment.
And then one wonders why people are becoming more and more skeptical of institutions. Yet, these same institutions, both private and public, continue to "burn" (word intentionally chosen) the idea that Trust, a now ignored social glue, should be a moral imperative.
I sadly have to agree with your last line:
"It’s like a scene from The Maltese Falcon, everybody needs a fall guy, and it is always the one with the least power and the fewest lawyers."
That's what happens when Social Morality is torn to shreds and tatters. I am trying to teach my foster child about Morality using "The Character of a Man is can be seen when he doesn't think anyone is watching" (or any of its offshoots). Sadly, it is a very foreign concept to him as well as many others.
A good post but I would take exception to this line
"A tired and ugly building in a rich part of town needed recladding to look better and be more energy efficient."
Prior to the refitting the living environment in these towers was very poor, with moisture and mold problems causing documented health effects. Some needed to be done to improve them. IIRC 180 buildings have been reclad (some even with the correct stuff) and all without exception have reported major improvements in the lived in environment.
And then one wonders why people are becoming more and more skeptical of institutions. Yet, these same institutions, both private and public, continue to "burn" (word intentionally chosen) the idea that Trust, a now ignored social glue, should be a moral imperative.
I sadly have to agree with your last line:
"It’s like a scene from The Maltese Falcon, everybody needs a fall guy, and it is always the one with the least power and the fewest lawyers."
That's what happens when Social Morality is torn to shreds and tatters. I am trying to teach my foster child about Morality using "The Character of a Man is can be seen when he doesn't think anyone is watching" (or any of its offshoots). Sadly, it is a very foreign concept to him as well as many others.