Just when you think Bennett might be getting his act together, this appears on the Senate Y2K Website. "A couple of extra cans of food"...

R.

www.senate.gov/~y2k (top link):

PREPARING FOR Y2K

In the absence of a sure-fire cure to the Year 2000 (Y2K) technology problem, temporary disruptions in some services are a real possibility. But the more you know about the Y2K problem- and the readiness of those on whom you depend for basic goods and services- the more you'll know about what you need to do. The Y2K problem, like many others we face on a daily basis, should be met with logic and common sense. The following suggestions may help you minimize any problems or inconveniences you might experience.

BE AN INFORMED CITIZEN. Ask your utility companies about their Y2K status. Talk with local officials about what the police, fire, and emergency medical services have done to prepare and post their non-911 direct dial emergency numbers. Burglar alarms connected to computer networks at police stations and security companies should be tested. Know the most direct route to the nearest hospital.

BE AN EDUCATED CONSUMER. While many appliances do not rely on date sensitive technology, you should contact manufacturers to verify Y2K compliance. Check with your doctor, pharmacist, broker, grocer and others who provide you with valuable services about what they have done to prepare.

PRUDENCE IN THE PANTRY. You are probably better prepared to handle any Y2K disruptions than you realize. What you should have on hand a flashlight and batteries, warm blankets, a couple of extra cans of food- are items you are apt to have in your home already. If you take medication, consult your doctor if you are concerned about any Y2K related shipping delays.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR FINANCES. The financial services industry is well-prepared- the bank is still the safest place to keep your money. A few common sense measures on your part will protect you against any unforseen glitches, such as billing errors. Save receipts and obtain paper copies of bank and loan statements and other financial transactions, especially deposit slips. Visit or call your local bank to learn about their Y2K plans. Talk to your employer about steps taken to address Y2K vulnerabilities in the payroll system. Take Y2K readiness into account when making investments.

TRAVEL SMART. If you plan to travel, obtain written confirmation of your reservations directly from the provider as well as from your travel agent. Factor Y2K into your travel plans much as you would any other disruption, such as bad weather or overbooking, that would cause you to experience delays. If you are traveling abroad, check with the State Department for Y2K travel alerts.

BEWARE OF SCAMS. Con artists are already actively exploiting people's Y2K fears. Be wary of goods and services touted as Y2K guaranteed. Beware of anyone attempting to sell you unnecessary products such as massive food supplies, water treatment kits or other "Y2K personal preparedness" items. Never give out personal financial information over the phone unless you initiate the call and are sure the person you call is legitimate. Report any attempts to solicit this information to the police.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), May 23, 1999

Answers

BTW...Tuesday's hearing will be broadcast live on the Senate Y2k Website (see above link).

If someone could monitor it and post info on the forum, I'm sure everyone would truly appreciate it!

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), May 23, 1999.

Can you say,,,,, Things ain't good, but I cann't tell you that, so call and find out for yourself? When they all sound the same, you will get the hint.

-- FLAME AWAY (BLehman202@aol.com), May 23, 1999.

FA, nail on head.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 23, 1999.

... and how many $millions did they spent to come to this conclusion?

-- fly .:. (,@...), May 23, 1999.

I fell on the floor laughing when I read this line "The Y2K problem, like many others we face on a daily basis, should be met with logic and common sense". How dare they say that. If Y2K is as bad as most of the people in these forums hope it will be, they will have plenty of blood on their hands!

PREPARE PEOPLE, PREPARE!

-- Y2K PREPARER (nowhere@wouldntit.benice), May 23, 1999.

* * * 19990523 Sunday

Inferences from a few salient assembled preparedness advice vs. actions to-date:

1. POLITICIANS and "Emergency Organizations" (SS?) to JQP: Prepare for 3, 5, or 7 days for "minor inconveniences"; ( editorial ) WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!

2. At public forums, ELECTRIC POWER and NG CORPORATIONS (allegedly!) "STOCKPILING" _6-9 MONTHS_ COAL (~810 MILES OF TRAIN CARS/PLANT SITE!?!? WHERE?) and NG (~300% OF NORMAL EXCESS!?!? WHERE?); ( editorial ) WE ARE PREPARED FOR (LIMITED CATESTROPHIC!... THESE SUPPLIES _WILL_ BE EXHAUSTED SOME DAY ...) CONTINGENCIES! DON'T WORRY! THESE CORPORATIONS are NOT documenting ( i.e., 10K ) or giving this information to ANY media for larger public consumption.

Are there any CONCLUSIONS that could be reasonably drawn from these "pictures?"...

Regards, Bob Mangus < rmangus@hotmail.com > * * *

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus@hotmail.com), May 23, 1999.

More proof that it's you guys, and not the general public, who don't "Get It."

You people have been perfectly happy to use Bennett and the Senate reports as sources in the past, quoting them frequently. When they begin disagreeing with your Preparation Mode, you dump them as quickly as you dumped de Jager and everyone else who abandoned the hard line.

-- Stephen M. Poole, CET (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), May 23, 1999.

Mr. Poole,

If Senator Bennett's reports versus his recommendations on preparing where even REMOTELY connected, then at least I could credit him with consistency.

I find it irresponsile for an elected official who has a grasp on the POTENTIAL impact of Y2K to recommend doing nothing, because, Hey, you've got a "couple of extra cans of food in the pantry". That's what the above statment says. Do nothing.

Get a grip, Poole. That's not even rational advice in the event of a major storm.

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), May 23, 1999.

Inadequate advice ref: food supply AND no mention of storing sufficient water -- the forgotten, essential supply. A minimum of ONE GALLON OF WATER PER DAY PER PERSON. And this is to handle minimum drinking requirements only, not washing or cooking. Conservatively, taking the Red Cross' advice to prepare for Y2K for several days (let's say 5) for a family of 4: that's 20 gallons of water. Does Bennett even mention that? No.

Just how quickly do you suppose federal agencies will be able to get to everyone with "relief" H2O?

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), May 23, 1999.

Perhaps they, and the media, will change the message after Tuesday's Testimony...

Check out the Senate web-site under hearings...

"Community Y2K Preparedness: Is There News They Can Use?"

http:/ /www.senate.gov/~y2k/hearings/052599/index.html

It lists witnesses on the Preparedness Panel (Eds at the top) and the Media Panel.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), May 23, 1999.

See also...

A Preparedness Proclamation To Make September National Awareness Month

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000rXI

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), May 23, 1999.

Mr. Poole,

There's a reason you get snapped at every time you post in this forum. You just don't think.

-- David Palm, BSEE, BSCE, MA, MOUSE (djpalm64@yahoo.com), May 23, 1999.

Look above and consider the "target audience". It isn't you. You already are initiated. You are already aware.

Look at the "lead in" for each paragraph, in all caps. Those are strong statements.

The people this message is intended for may or may not have heard about Y2k already. Now the Senate is telling them directly that they should: PREPARING FOR Y2K

BE AN INFORMED CITIZEN.

BE AN EDUCATED CONSUMER.

PRUDENCE IN THE PANTRY.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR FINANCES.

TRAVEL SMART.

BEWARE OF SCAMS.

This is a good start. This is what we're all doing if we're preparing, right?

Roland, I don't see how this is a bad thing.

Mike ===============================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), May 23, 1999.

Mike,

Yes some of the adivce is prudent. It just doesn't go far enough. The section I take the most issue with is in regards to food. This is ludicrous. And no mention of water at all. No heat and light alternatives.

They would have been better off providing a link to the Red Cross or FEMA. People new to Y2K will read this and shrug it off as no big deal. In short, they will do nothing.

But I guess that's the whole idea, right?

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), May 23, 1999.

Roland,

I absolutely see your point that this falls far short of what the Government should be saying and even doing at this time. But, this is more than simply saying nothing at all.

Mike ====================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), May 23, 1999.

Mike-

"Joe Average" isn't out trolling the internet for Y2K sites, IMHO.

And I also have to question the timing of their post. BEFORE the hearing on Tuesday? What are they afraid will come out? If this is going to be their advice, why hold the hearing at all? To pacify those who believe more that afew extra cans of food are in order?

Ya gotta wonder...

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), May 23, 1999.

The government should have started informing people and telling them to start preparing long ago. It would have been the best way to avert panic.

They've known what a mess this would be for a long time. It's way too late to do anything now. First they would have to undo all of their previous "no problem" spin to get people concerned enough to prepare, then they'd have to get people to overcome their natural tendency to procrastinate.

I think that the government's belated and feeble attempt to start telling people to prepare now is just ass-covering. After TSHTF, Koskinen can stand up and say "We told you to be informed and prepare. It's not our fault your sitting in the dark with no food."

Just more blame shifting going on here if you ask me.

-- Clyde (clydeblalock@hotmail.com), May 23, 1999.

"Joe Average" isn't out trolling the internet for Y2K sites, IMHO."

Who exactly IS "Joe Average"? There is no logical stereotype that you can drop someone into here. I suppose I am as average as any Joe, IMHO, and I found out about the deeper issues regarding Y2k from the internet.

Now, regarding the government. Just what exactly would you expect the Senate to do? What does the Senate do, anyway? I believe they are a legislative body which writes and enacts laws. What laws would you expect them to write and enact that could push a private business entity to divulge to the public if the will or will not suffer a business failure? What, short of an SEC filing, could a legislative body do to push a public organization to do the same? Especially in a system of free enterprise and free markets?

We're lucky they've been able to do as much as they have so far. The mere fact that a Y2k committee even exists was a great step forward. The fact that you can get a bunch of Senators to agree to certain language such as what is posted here is a victory.

If you're expecting the government, as a whole, to come forward and warn people of the dangers on our horizon I don't think it'll be likely for some time. And it wont be likely at all unless the President takes the lead. The President is the person and the position that should be most visiable regarding this.

The Senators would do better going to their home states and pushing their respective State Legislators to warn it's citizens. The Senators can use their visability to push the issues and warn the people. Yet, they really have limited power other than perhaps a bipartisan vote on a bill warning people and calling for them to prepare. They can't enact a law to do this. If they did, and I honestly have no real idea, I'd think it would be unconstitutional. Preparing is and should be up to the individual.

People have taken offense to this statement, "The Y2K problem, like many others we face on a daily basis, should be met with logic and common sense"

Read it again. What, exactly, is the problem with that statement? Is it the contention of those that disagree with it that The Y2k problem should be met without logic and common sense?

This is where I differ with you, perhaps.

I'm not putting my faith in the government to do much about Y2k until after TSHTF. Why? The federal government, as a whole, is reactionary and not proactive.

I don't expect nor do I desire the government to do ANYTHING about y2k, at all, other than warn it's citizens. Beyond that I see a direct impact on the constitution and my civil and personal liberties. I wont rely on the government to provide me with food, shelter or anything else. I actually would rather they NOT provide anything other than to make sure that the national borders are secure. Even then, I would rather that the individual states have that control.

If you want the government to warn it's people then you need not look further than the reports made by the GAO and the OMB and the Senate Y2k Committee, etc. Heck, even the President said that Y2k was a serious threat in his State of the Union Address.

The fact that the media has failed to present these facts in broad, in depth from to the public is a serious problem. The fact that the public, generally, has failed to take the warnings of FEMA and the Red Cross and the government to prepare and ignored them is a serious problem. The fact that the public, generally, choses to live their lives only by seeing what is at the tip of their noses and not looking beyond is a serious problem.

I just don't expect the government to enact a law forcing people to wake up from their comfortable lives and look up from their big screen TV's or out from the window of their SUVs and all of a sudden say in a collective voice, "oh, now I get it."

In the end, I see that as the responsibility of "Joe Average". And, as just another Joe Average, that's what I'm trying to do.

Mike ================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), May 23, 1999.