I am a software engineer involved in embedded systems work. I would be interested in your opinion on how likely a draft of programmers and software engineers sometime next year would be? Given that such a thing would be entirely a PR stunt and would likely have a negative effect on remediation, it still does not strike me as impossible. Will the public demand such action from the gov't? How would something like that be organized? What do you think?

-- Franklin Journier (ready4y2k@yahoo.com), November 23, 1998

Answers

It strikes me as unlikely, if only because of the massive effort involved in coordinating such a thing. To whom would these people report? How would they be assigned to projects? How would they be brought up to speed on their designated projects without totally blowing an already blown schedule? It's not a trivial thing to instigate a draft, even in the face of a military threat. Would the public really be up for such a thing in the face of something as relatively intangible as Y2K?

That being said, I'm very perplexed at the Clinton administration's total silence on Y2K. It seems sinister enough to me and they may have some rather nasty power grabs in mind, but I don't know that they would be planning something as sweeping as a draft, especially in a time-rame as tight as the last 12 months before the calendar rolls over.

ITFWIWD ("In the 'For What It's Worth, Department'" as my father used to say).

-- David Palm (djpalm64@yahoo.com), November 23, 1998.

However, they (generically) in the Clinton-Gore administration believe in the hearts that "bigger government is the way to salvation" - they hate, fear, and distrust capitalism - in any form - with a fervor and religious passion, and so are mentally already prepared to try a "draft" - gulag, concentration camp; more like it - rather than let businesses hire who they need when they need them.

More likely, just massive nationalization of "critical utilities and services." Also a given, confiscation of firearms by FEMA (under the emergency clauses).

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 23, 1998.

The Clinton-Gore administration "hate, fear, and distrust capitalism - in any form - with a fervor and religious passion"??

Yah, sure, Robert, that's why the stock market been in the tank every year since Clinton took office. Down, down, down, ...

, and so are mentally already prepared to try a "draft" - gulag, concentration camp; more like it - rather than let businesses hire who they need when they need them.

More likely, just massive nationalization of "critical utilities and services." Also a given, confiscation of firearms by FEMA (under the emergency clauses).

Answered by Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com) on November 23, 1998.

-- Stock Marketeeer (Dow@Jones.com), November 23, 1998.

I'm a programmer. I'd L-O-V-E to be drafted to work on IRS and FinCEN computers. He he he.

-- hehe (hehe@irssucks.com), November 24, 1998.