Could you imagine what it would be like if engieers could just sluff their way through college? Man, I sure wouldn't want to fly on a plane designed by that type of engineer. I'd be hesitant to drive a car designed by them or cross bridges, too.

Few people realize the level of trust that inherent in our society. My wife is a Filipina. She told me what it was like in the Philippines where corruption, especially under Marcos, was rampant at every level of society. For example, it was standard practice for builders to slip some Pesos to the building inspectors so they'd ignore the fact that there was little or no rebar in the concrete. Odds are the building would come down on the first earthquake but who cared other than the families killed in the collapse? Now, spread that kind of corruption all through a society. No one could trust anything or anyone because of the rampant corruption throughout society.

Now, picture the trust inherent in something like taking a flight on an airliner.

- We trust that the engineers designed the plane properly.

- We trust that the workers built the plane properly and that all of the parts and materials were up to specifications.

- We trust that the airline mechanics maintained the plane properly.

- We trust that the other ground personnel properly fueled the plane and ensured it is safe for flight.

- We trust that the pilots are sober and skilled.

- We trust that the baggage handlers did their job properly (a DC-10 crashed in Turkey back in the early 1970s because the baggage door wasn't closed properly, killing over 200 people).

- We trust that the air traffic controllers will keep our plane from colliding with other planes, both in the air and on the ground.

- We trust (and hope) that the security personnel have kept bombs and other nasty things off of the plane.

See where I'm going? Well, that's just one tiny aspect of our society. Look all around you and think of the things we take for granted. I personally believe grade inflation serves to undermine the core competency that is the foundation of the trust our society is built upon. Things like the Enron (and perhaps the Global Crossing) scandals and government corruption go a long way to undermining trust that's the foundation of our economy and way of life. I honestly don't think I'm overstating the case.

Trust, once lost, is very hard to regain. The new government in the Philippines has been trying to restore trust ever since Marcos was kicked out in 1986. It's a slow and difficult process.