I would like indesign to First, look in its resident (root) folder for fonts and links, then look in subfolders (ie packed folders "fonts" & "Links") and only then, if it cannot locate them, go looking in the folders defined as "original links folder" or "most recent links folder".
I would like this to apply to both opening a file and to saving the file and exporting files (pdf etc)
and if this cannot be a default behavior, then I'l **** it to be an optional behavior.

Why?
because when I package a file I want the indesign file to use the packaged resources.
because when I copy the whole folder to experiment on a file I do not want to find out later that indesign has been working with the original links which should not be altered (because client has approved them)
Because after experimenting on the file and deciding to run with the new version, I overwrite the old links file only to find that I am destroying all the work just completed.