Let $\omega_1$ be the first uncountable ordinal, same as the set of all countable ordinals. Let $F$ be the set of all regressive functions $f$ from $\omega_1$ minus singleton $0$ into $\omega_1$, that is $f(\alpha) < \alpha$ for $0 < \alpha < \omega_1$. Define a partial order on $F$ by $f \leq g$ if $f(\alpha) \leq g(\alpha)$ for all $0<\alpha < \omega_1$. Let $K$ be the subset of $F$, of functions with a finite range. Question: Is there an order-preserving homomorphism $h : F \to K$, i.e if $f \leq g$ then $h(f) \leq h(g)$, and with the additional property that $f \leq h(f)$ ? I had dropped one requirement (and comments below show that it is essential), but one must also assume that the functions $f\in F$ preserve the order, that is $f(\alpha)\leq f(\beta)$ if $\alpha \leq \beta$. (Perhaps the latter would be correctly, but confusingly to me, termed non-decreasing: I prefer to say each $f$ is order-preserving. I did mean the functions $f$ must be regressive, when I had imprecisely said decreasing, in the original statement.) Edit: I accepted, unaccepted, and again accepted the answer by Noah S: It is _incomplete_ (as comments below show), so the question is open, but I got enough from it, just to clarify to myself what I was asking, I'll keep thinking about it. Edit April 28, 2014. I unaccepted the answer again: Perhaps someone is going to take a look again, this way, and complete it. Thank you