A German Top Manager blames publicly democracy for big problems at new Berlin Airport . Is he right ?

1. 1
Is democracy to blame for problems at
Berlin Airport ?
Die Zeit :
Germany biggest and
most important weekly
newpaper
Hartmut Mehdorn :
Germany wide well known Top Manager. Has been
assingned to rescue the construction project of the
New Berliner Airport
„We pay the price for democracy“
Statement about the huge delays and sky rocketing
costs of new Berlin Airport

2. 2
Is democracy to blame for problems at Berlin Airport ?
Democracy is not to blame !
Der Rescue Man „Mehdorn“ just tries to cover up his own deficits and
mistakes during the first months of his rescue mission. He starts to see
the coming failure of his mission.
Proof on next page

3. 3
Letter adressed to king Louis XIV of France 1683
The royal chief of construction
describes his trouble with his building
projects
a) they don‘t get finished
b) they cost much more
c) the are poorly done
Democracy did not exist there !
Letter text on next page

4. 4
Text in Englisch:
http://www.tallbridgeguy.com/2012/02/15/sebastien-le-prestre-the-marquis-of-vauban-1633-1707/
Text in French:
http://www.crdp-montpellier.fr/cd66/artscult/fichesVauban/cdvauban/periodes/tempsmodernes/vaubanautoritereconnue.pdf
Text in Italian:
http://www.igitalia.it/documenta
zione/vauban.pdf
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vau
ban
While he was General Commissioner of Fortifications for France, Vauban wrote the
following letter in the year 1683 to the Marquis of Louvois, Minister for Public Works
and Secretary for War in the French government during the reign of Louis XIV. Here is a
transcription in English of this letter:
“To Louvois:
My Lord,
There are some remnants of construction works in recent years which are not finished
and will never reach satisfactory completion, and all that, My Lord, due to the disorder
resulting from the frequent discounts of which there are records in your financial
accounts. For it is certain that all these broken contracts, promises not kept, and
revision of adjudication only serve to attract towards you as Contractors all those
desperate ones with no other place to turn, the untrustworthy, and the ignorant, and to
scare away all those who have something valid to offer and who are capable of running
an enterprise correctly.
I maintain, in addition, that they delay and increase considerably the final cost of the
works which they carry out most badly, because these discounts and bargains that are
so sought after by the free market are imaginary, especially so because it is the
Contractor himself who also loses out, like a man who is drowning and who grabs at
anything he can reach. This Contractor does not pay his suppliers from whom he took
the materials; he pays badly the workers whom he engages, cheats all those he can,
and can only find the worst ones because they are desperate and allow themselves to
be paid more cheaply than others; he uses only the meanest of materials, quibbles
about everything, and still cries for mercy against this and that.
This should be enough, My Lord, for you to see the imperfection of this conduct: and
then to abandon it in the name of God, RESTORE GOOD FAITH;
GIVE THE FAIR PRICE FOR THE WORKS TO BE CARRIED OUT AND DO NOT REFUSE
AN HONEST WAGE TO A CONTRACTOR WHO PERFORMS HIS DUTY, THIS WILL
ALWAYS BE THE BEST VALUE THAT YOU CAN EVER FIND.
I remain, My Lord, with all my heart, your very humble and very obedient servant,
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban
Maréchal de France
(Archives nationales de Paris).
17th July 1683.”

5. 5
Geo article about problems in building projects
Longer, more cumbersome and more costly
!
Do you like to know who/ what is guilty ?
See why buidling projects go in an systemtic and regular way wrong !

6. 6
Vauban’s Brief vom 17. Juli 1683
Text in Englisch:
http://www.tallbridgeguy.com/2012/02/15/seb
astien-le-prestre-the-marquis-of-vauban-
1633-1707/
Text in French:
http://www.crdp-
montpellier.fr/cd66/artscult/fichesVauban/cdv
auban/periodes/tempsmodernes/vaubanauto
ritereconnue.pdf
Text in Italian:
http://www.igitalia.it/documentazione/vauban.
pdf
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauban

7. 6
Vauban’s Brief vom 17. Juli 1683
Text in Englisch:
http://www.tallbridgeguy.com/2012/02/15/seb
astien-le-prestre-the-marquis-of-vauban-
1633-1707/
Text in French:
http://www.crdp-
montpellier.fr/cd66/artscult/fichesVauban/cdv
auban/periodes/tempsmodernes/vaubanauto
ritereconnue.pdf
Text in Italian:
http://www.igitalia.it/documentazione/vauban.
pdf
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauban