http://flash.oregonlive.com/cgi-bin/or_nview.pl?/home1/wire/AP/Stream-Parsed/OREGON_NEWS/o1650_PM_WA--Locke-Y2K

this is another one of those smiley face at the top, nasty facts at the bottom articles, left until almost last was this bit:

"--About 91 percent of water system operators serving more than 100,000 customers expected their internal systems to be Y2K-compliant by 2000. But nearly half the small systems serving fewer than 10,000 customers, and nearly one-third of systems serving 10,000 to 100,000 customers said they had no formal Y2K plan."

now let me think for a minute...isn't most of Oregon rural?

hmm...

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), April 13, 1999

Answers

Arlin,

Oregon has a greater percentage of it population in small towns than just about any other state. That article is not good news for Oregon.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), April 13, 1999.

Arlin,

I think that article is about Washington instead of Oregon. It does confirm, though, what we've heard in general about Y2K at the local government level.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), April 13, 1999.

WASHINGTON. Water plan = the stuff falls out of the sky endlessly -- how could it be a problem? Contingency plan = set out a bucket.

Didja notice the cavalier attitude about cash? Morons! Bu**heads! (Gotta eMail this to Paul ;) "We have this inordinate fascination with these little green things that you put in your pocket and call money," ... noting check books and other sources of cash will work even if automatic tellers don't ... " [ ouch, a DGI! ]

"We have exalted the necessity to have (cash) just immediately available at the snap of your fingers ... discouraged people from withdrawing two or three weeks' worth of cash just before the new year, which some Y2K watchers say could make fears of cash shortages a self-fulfilling prophesy ... "I think that's an invitation to get hit over the head" ... [ Heeheehee, think that attitude is an invitation to get speared with a pitchfork when your constituents are cashless moneyless electronicless resourceless 1/14/2000 ]

There's some gems of arrogant imbecility! *note for pitchforks*

Having been to various high-level meetings in both Oregon & Washington, a couple observations:

1. Oregon is more evolved and Y2K-aware. Not all the way GI by any means, but not quite so aggressively stupid in their ignorance.

2. Both states' FIRST priority is to prevent bank runs and "panic" (aware action) at ANY COST! They cannot imagine or cope with mass behaviorial changes and are SCARED, to put it mildly.

Of course they don't realize that if they had honestly informed their weeples, say, in June of 1998, and advocated calm, gradual, intelligent, sensible preparation, that there would be nothing to fear.

La tee da dah dee dah de duh duh dum

xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), April 13, 1999.

On the other hand, I feel that those who don't live in Portland, Seattle and 'burbs areas are more capable of taking care of themselves than the east coast or Southern California. There is still a frontier independence out there that does not exist else where. This includes Idaho, Montana and Alaska too. When I lived there in the Cascade Mtns, we always bought in case lots and we always had at least 6 months food. You got your wood in, did your last harvesting of garden and made your trip for winter to Costco. Here in Florida if you buy more than 10 cans of soup and 10# of beans, everyone in the check out lane comments and so does the clerk. "Out West" is a whole different ball game. And while I am enjoying Florida weather immensley, I do miss the folk who have some of self responsibility/sustaining. We had friends for dinner the other night (both from NJ) and I made homemade speghetti sauce and homemade bread. They liked it, but he couldn't understand why anyone would do that when you can go to the store and buy it every day. But then he bought $75K of Compaq last week?????????? Iffen y'all would just turn off that damn rain, I would be back. After 22 years and God knows how much money, we finally figured out the only way of keeping dry and animals out of the mud. was to build a dome over the whole farm. Seeing as that wasn't too economically feasible, we sold out to some other poor fool.

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), April 13, 1999.

Darn it, Arlin, yer just like all them other non-Cascadians who keep gettin' Worshington and Orygun mixed up. WA is fetched right up against Canada, has a sales tax, lots of aerospace and software companies, and a pro basketball team with really ugly uniforms and a mediocre record. OR is right south of it, has NO sales tax, lots of athletic shoe companies and a few computer hardware manufacturers, and a pro basketball team with snazzy uniforms and the best record in the NBA.

WA also apparently may have a small Y2K problem with water getting delivered, but trust me, come winter time, ya just keep the bleach handy and put some buckets under the gutterspouts. More water than anyone ever really wants...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), April 13, 1999.

Mac, that's why OR should be so appealing to a SoCal'er.

And then, SD has nukes in her harbor on those subs. Oh joy.

The hills look more and more "alive," don't they?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), April 13, 1999.

Arlin,

Yes it is, and the rural folk think differently than the city folk.

"On the other hand, I feel that those who don't live in Portland, Seattle and 'burbs areas are more capable of taking care of themselves than the east coast or Southern California. There is still a frontier independence out there that does not exist else where."

Taz,

You are entirely correct.

-- LP (soldog@hotmail.com), April 14, 1999.

WA also has inland desert (Spokane area), doesn't it? Driving south from our Okanagan to your Okenagan valleys, it would all be desert if not for extensive irrigation, as I recall. Wouldn't want to live this side of the Cascades without reliable water, even in winter - but correct me if I'm wrong. (It has occasionally been known to happen :-)

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), April 14, 1999.