Today's News & Observer noted that freshman Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) is a new member of the "Special Committee On The Year 2000 Technology Problem."

In the scheme of things, this should be good news. Johnny, as he is known in Raleigh, is smart as a whip. As one of the world's most successful civil trial attorneys, he has made a personal fortune by riding herd on corporations which have caused injury to people.

None of this is to start an argument on the good and evil of any aspect of the legal system, we'd be here until y3k on that one; I'm just making the point that Sen. Edwards has a proven and uncanny ability to focus and inquire into corporate malfeasance. He could use that ability to gather and disseminate info on y2k. Of course, Sens. Bennett and Dodd may not need or want much help from a freshman, but he's as competent as they come in cutting through corporate stonewalling.

Sen. Edwards can be reached at the following address:

The Honorable John Edwards United States Senator 825 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510

-- Puddintame (dit@dot.com), March 29, 1999

Answers

Being a "Tarheel" myself, I find that to be interesting. I wrote a letter to Senator Edwards about 6 weeks ago (emailed, actually) and have gotten no response.

Here is the text of my letter. At least now he is within spitting distance of Bennett and might get religion.

R.

Dear Senator Edwards,

I am writing to you today because I am concerned about the state of North Carolina's Y2K preparedness. More to the point, I am concerned about the utter lack of communication on the part of state and local government to the citizens of our state.

The state's web site that posts progress reports has not been updated since last December. I have seen and heard nothing from our elected officials regarding the state's readiness or contingency plans. I am beginning to think I would be better off in Utahat least Senator Bennett is addressing these issues. Perhaps you and he should have a long chat.

An article in the Charlotte Observer last week quoted Susan Johnson (our local Y2K coordinator) as saying that nothing would be communicated to the city of Charlotte until this summer. This is totally unacceptable. Information is currently being made available to the public (Rep. Horn's report card, Sen. Bennett's 116-page report, etc.), and frankly I find our local and state governments' silence ominous.

I would urge you to take a leadership role on this issue and begin a dialogue with the citizens of North Carolina on how to prepare for the rollover. I understand you do not want to create a "panic" situation, but by addressing concerns now, you can avoid just such a panic this fall. FEMA and the Red Cross are both advocating preparedness measures, although in my opinion comparing the Y2K problem to a "winter storm" is ludicrous. And read the Senate Committee report very carefully. You can be assured that many of your constituents will.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), March 29, 1999.

Roland, good letter. Sounds like Edwards probably did have that chat with Bennett that you suggested. I would not expect a reply to your e- mail, but you may have gotten something better . . .results.

I am going to write a hard-copy letter to Johnny to encourage him to focus on this work.

-- Puddintame (dit@dot.com), March 29, 1999.