I just read on www.garynorth.com that Ed and others testifying will be required to pay their own expenses for the trip to DC in order to testify.

Since Mr. Yourdon has solicited our input for info to be included, is there a way that we can help to defray his expenses? I see that Rogue Valley Y2K has a non-profit tax deductible method to cover this expense.

-- Bill P (porterwn@one.net), May 14, 1999

Answers

Bill,

I appreciate the offer, but I can handle my own expenses. The Senate testimony is by "invitation," and I'm not aware that the Congress or Senate pays travel expenses of witnesses unless there's a subpoena involved -- e.g., something like Monica's appearance before a Senate committee during the impeachment hearings. In any case, I consider it both an honor and a duty to appear before Senator Bennett's committee; it's a form of participatory government that most of us have not had the opportunity to experience.

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), May 15, 1999.

If our government refuses to pay Ed Yourdons travel expenses, I think he should tell them to screw it and stay home!!!

-- smitty (smitty@sandiego.com), May 14, 1999.

Pay for Ed's trip????? What, are you nuts? He probably has more money than all of us put together. Get Real!!

-- Jokster (AreYou@kidding.com), May 14, 1999.

just by being asked to testify for congress,Ed's consultation fees have probably been boosted.Who can blame him,the problem's real.

-- po'me (cynic@minimumwage.$$$), May 14, 1999.

Ed solicited suggestions for his testimony on this forum recently.
I told him to forget it, unless he was just interested in "ego-boo". Why should he go without Congress paying his way and stay? The whole bit is a charade. Congress just wants to be able to say that they're "doing something" -- fricking grandstanding.

Anyone going to testify at one of those "cattle calls" gets their five minutes of fame, then their pearls cast before swine are buried in the dung heap (congressional record).

Even if you gave Congress the key to the "secret of the unvierse", Congress would find a way to lose it.

-- A (A@AisA.com), May 14, 1999.

Nice thought Bill, but my guess is Ed can cover any expenses he incurs in this noble endeavor. Fingers crossed a miracle occurs & the Feds take OVERT action soon.

To the poster who thinks the Feds should pay EY's expenses:

Hello? From whom does Congress, et al, receive their funding? Do you believe a broad-rimmed hat is past around to each U.S. Senator/Representative in order to collect operating funds?

Nooo, they have the IRS collect the money. Surprise! Whether I send EY a check for five bucks, or if Congress pays his expenses, bottom line is the money originates with ME!

No thank you.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@pop.shentel.net), May 14, 1999.

FY Edification :)

Senate Y2K Committee Allocates 5 minutes to the Representative of the Most Successful County Program

Comment:

The Rogue Valley, Oregon y2k contingency planning program may be the best joint county-private citizen y2k operation in the United States. They actually suggest specific things that people should do. As far as I know, it is the model of what a county should do.

The Senate's Special Committee on the Y2K Technology problem hear testimony on May 25 from local organizations. The representative from the Rogue Valley will receive five minutes. Yes, 300 seconds.

That ought to be enough, I'm sure.

What if this were a 1942 secret committee hearing on the Manhattan Project? (No, Congress didn't hold any.) "We have before us a list of distinguished scientists, each of whom will be given five minutes. They are: Bart Tomkins, Fred Jones, Ralph Barthomomew, Jon Fredericks, Albert Einstein, Biff Hargreaves, Bill Jeffreys, Bobby Joe Suggs, and Joe Bananas."

I'd give more information, but after thinking about the implications of this, I have to get to Sam's Club to buy another 100 lbs. of pinto beans.

* * * * * * * *

Dear Y2k Friends and Co-horts...

I have some exciting news!!

This is bound to be a long letter. However, I don't want you to miss any part of the process so I'm providing details so that you will know how this unique development came about.

Last week I received a call from Tonia Calhoun, a staff member of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Problem (the committee chaired by Robert Bennett and upon which Oregon's Senator Gordon Smith sits). The Rogue Valley had been recommended as a community to bring testimony before a special Senate Hearing on Y2k Community efforts, scheduled for May 25, in Washington D.C.

Several people had recommended us, including Paloma O'Riley of the Cassandra Project, and Wally Shueh (Senator Gordon Smith's aide), and Senator Smith himself.

It seems we have come full circle -- having been the first community to "sound the alarm" and now, a new opportunity (especially in this time of confusing messages regarding potential Y2k impact) to once again be a voice -- not just for the Rogue Valley, but for Oregon.

Prior to returning her call, and in order to get up-to-date information from several Y2k community groups, I queried several people in our two-county area. When I did reach Ms. Calhoun I was able to field her questions and to convey our current status (based on available data).

Primarily, she was interested in knowing what we had done... what were our successes and failures... where were we going... had the media been helpful in conveying our message... and what are our future plans.

I spoke with Tonia at some length and attempted to provide an accurate snapshot of our valley's efforts and where we feel we've hit a wall and were unable to proceed as we'd hoped. She said she would call on Monday to tell me if we would be selected to present testimony. Knowing that there are many valuable efforts being made across the land, I didn't really think too much about it. I did tell her that if she felt we could be of service, we would be willing to share our experience and insight.

Tonia spoke with a number of credible community groups around the U.S.A., all of whom she related, had interesting stories to share. In light of what some of these communities have done and the special care they have brought to their efforts, it makes me extremely pleased to report that the Rogue Valley has been chosen to present testimony at the Senate Special Hearing on May 25th. Even more remarkable, is that I have been asked to carry the message on behalf of our valley. I must tell you I am surprised, if not astonished by this honor, especially as there are so many others more capable and qualified to carry the message. I want you to know that I have no personal investment in this, and no agenda to carry -- simply a willingness to do my very best. My goal is to represent a collective voice of combined efforts here in our little corner of the world. It is my hope and desire to serve you well.

Also testifying will be Edward Yourdon, Paloma O'Riley, and Michael Nolan (a City Administrator from Nebraska).

In light of this important event, I need your input.

Because of their quantifiable efforts, I have asked the City of Ashland and Jackson County to contribute. And, specifically owing to their more established community work, I would hope that the Josephine Community Preparedness Project, the Ashland Community Y2k Preparedness Project, the Rogue Valley Y2k Task Force, and Wayne Schumacher of SOU's Family Housing will complement one another with quality input. But the smaller community Y2k groups that are just now forming have a valuable and much-needed contribution as well. Therefore, I hope that as many of you as can, will get together in your community groups and brainstorm about what message you would like me to deliver on your behalf.

I hope you will agree that one of the important tools of contingency planning that we can offer are the CERT (emergency alert triangles) that Wayne has developed and our CE-COMM--citizen's emergency communication network. Each of you will have ideas that you want brought to the fore and I will be pleased to present as many of them as possible.

I would like to suggest that the federal gov't take the lead in establishing an Emergency Preparedness Month with federal, state, and local efforts targeted at getting communities responsive to any emergency but with an eye toward the complexities that Y2k may bring (with multiple problems occuring simultaneously... the lack of available resources... the interconnectivity... and the more long- term potential for drawn out problems). It is my belief that unless this becomes a matter of national importance, and agencies who can facilitate and marshall a larger effort than a community group can, that Y2k is poised to paint a decidedly grim picture.

If you would like to contribute (and I hope you will), please submit your comments* in outline form as I will have very little time to wade through tomes of information and reduce it to 5 minutes of targeted testimony. Obviously, the sooner I can have this information, the better. But in reality, a deadline of Tuesday May 18 would probably be doable.

As I mentioned, the time frame is quite limited with each panelist given a mere 5 minutes for oral testimony. My goal is to solidify your remarks in order to present a cohesive broad-based message in the oral testimony. We have one shot, so we'd better make it a good one! Additionally, we are invited to supply written testimony which has no limitation (other than common sense). I would suggest that each group provide up to two-three pages of written testimony (which I have been asked to supply both electronically prior to, as well as in hard copy form at the hearing), that also can be entered into the record.

If there is anything that you and your community would be pleased to present, it would be my honor and privilege to carry it to D.C. as a representative voice.

* Basically what this hearing hopes to unveil are these points: 1) as a community, what has been your experience as you've worked to convey information and prepare your community for potential Y2k disruptions; 2) a deliniation of your communities achievements (both in awareness and contingency planning); 3) areas where you haven't enjoyed hoped- for success and why; 4) what the media's role has been to help and/or to hinder your efforts, and ways they could be more effective; and finally, 5) what are your goals and objectives in the months remaining.

Once I've narrowed down the meat of your message, I will ask a handful of you to review and edit the testimony. Perhaps we could even do a "dry run" -- just to get some of my nerve-endings to quiet down. :-) I'm not prone to "stage fright" but I'm feeling just a wee bit of "WOW!" right now.

I will receive a letter this week with the dates for submission. I imagine it will be soon as the staffers prepare questions for the Senator's to ask of the panelists.

Subsequent to the oral testimony, the Senators follow with Q&A of unknown length, dependant upon the interest we generate. Therefore, it is incumbant upon us to expose them in a compelling way, to our concerns (be that in the oral or the written testimony), so that they will be prompted to ask a lot of cogent questions.

By the way, all the expenses (flight, lodging, transportation, meals), for this trip are borne by the participants, not the federal government (and rightly so). Therefore, if you have any desire to share in the financial burden of carrying the message of the Rogue Valley to Washington D.C., your help is needed and will most certainly be appreciated. Although I haven't cleared this with RV- Y2k's financial officer, I'm pretty sure that if you need a tax- deductable receipt, you could make your contribution through RV-Y2k Task Force and they in turn can target it to my expenses.

I hope you are ready to charge full speed ahead in this important event--pooling our ideas together and making a valuable contribution. Thanks for everything you do.

Your servant,

Liza

P.S. I've tried to think of as many of you as would want to know about this as my mind could remember, but if you know of others that should receive this mailing, please feel free to pass it along.

[BRAVO to the Rogue River and Ashland communities!!! - Andy]

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), May 15, 1999.