Ah, irony (was: Unknown fruit & other plants...)

[Thomas Lammers]

At 11:00 AM 1/17/03 -0800, Doug Yanega wrote:
 >> (1) Is there any particular reason - some hurdle that cannot be
overcome - that makes it impossible for the taxonomic community to form its
own professional association, akin to those of doctors and lawyers? <<

Many of us are public employees.  My salary is paid for by the citizens of
Wisconsin.  If every time a homeowner came in with a weed to ID I said,
"That'll be $25 please," I'm sure it would only be a matter of time before
the legislature started raising holy hell.  It is part of my job
description to be of service to the citizens of this state.  Now, if I
started shaking down out-of-staters, I don't think there'd be a fuss.  But
the folks who support the institution wioth there taxes?  That's another
matter.


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and biogeography
of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
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"Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that stood his ground."
                                                               -- Anonymous