Workstations: good reasons for owner root access

[Tom Chmara]

We're in the process of trialing workstations to enhance our computing
environment.  (i.e. more and more people and their dogs are getting
them).  However, our support organization (the Evil Empire) is aghast
that INDIVIDUAL USERS should want root access to their own workstations.
   I've been playing with UNIX for a while, and so should be expected
to know why I (in particular) might want root perms on my machine.
In particular, I'm interested in being able to give/receive NFS
mounts to/from other machines in my group on an as-needed basis.
As well, the lpr daemon will sometimes croak and need a kick in the
pants.  However, I'm drawing a blank at this point and start getting
hot under the collar about the whole situation.
   The prevailing attitude in the E.E. is that people are going to mess
up bad, that they don't need the access, and that they're going to
be uneducated and irresponsible.  I like to think better of my
co-workers.  Regardless, just because I claim that everyone here
is of sterling quality doesn't wash.
   The bulk of the programmers here are NOT UNIX-familiar (caught one
turning his workstation off&on because a program had hung, just like you
would a MAC...)  However, I like to think that the bulk of them are
responsible and would not abuse the access.  We're talking SUN, Apollo,
HP, etc workstations here, most with local disks.
   Are there any cogent arguments for or (gulp) against root access?
Is it just my own hunger for power over this inanimate box that is
talking here?  Please respond by email or news; as is SOP, I'll try
to summarize in a few days...
	Thanks...
		---tpc---
These aren't BNR's opinions.  I don't often know my own mind, and
you expect me to speak for someone else??