The absentee landlord of this placewhere I used to live had his own way of settling disputes among us tenants. He’d listen very carefully to you asserting your right to keep a bicycle on your shared veranda. Then he’d tell you he’d think about it. A day or two later, you and the other disputant would each receive a copy of a little paperback book.The book was called Getting to Yes. It was about how to negotiate without getting mad. My landlord must have had a crate of these books. I’m not sure I was that obstre-perous a tenant, but I think I ended up with two or three copies.Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a single one recently to send to our city-charter reformers — when “Yes” just didn’t seem to be what they were getting to. Instead of negotiation, there was posturing. And almost everyone was getting mad.
Source: Chartered Out | L.A. Weekly