http://www.currents.net/newstoday/99/05/26/news1.html

John Koskinen, chairman of the President's Council on Y2K Conversion, today told Newsbytes that a new initiative designed to foster Year 2000 compliance and problem solving at the local level does not come too late for the US.

"Wherever you are in the process, if there's 221 days of work to do, you might as well get started today," Koskinen said, adding that even if a business' or government's systems have been certified as Year 2000-compliant, "you're not ever done."

"It's critical for those who think they are done" to continue developing contingency plans and re-testing their systems, Koskinen said.

Koskinen was the main host for the introduction of the Y2K Community Conversations program, a new effort sponsored by the president's council. The program comprises a free toolkit and a series of meetings across the country to "support and encourage the efforts of government officials, business leaders and interested citizens to meet the Y2K challenge in communities across the country, and to share information about their progress."

The program is accompanied by some complementary legislation introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., that proposes July as National Y2K Disclosure month.

The toolkit, in a medium-sized cardboard box, includes a guidebook, a videotaped message from President Clinton and several other materials.

Following the premise that all politics is local, Koskinen said that the only way that the US can reach full compliance with the date change problem is community by community. He also said that although this program is government-sponsored, it is "not the federal government coming into communities, telling them what to do."

He also said that the program is not coming too late, because, among other reasons, the Year 2000 problem is "a big deal," and that it is better for the government to try to be as open as possible with all information, under the premise that the more knowledge citizens have, the less they will panic.

The program is being conducted with approximately 20 national associations, including the American Bankers Association, the American Hospital Association, and the North American Electric Reliability Council.

Other state and local organizations, including the National Governors' Association, the US Conference of Mayors, the National Council of State Legislatures, and the National League of Cities, have lent their support to the program.

Koskinen also repeated his claim that companies, individuals and governments who decide to wait for the date change to see if any problems occur are "likely to be at the end of a very long line of other people."

The toolkit is available for order at 1-888-USA-4-Y2K, or at http://www.y2k.gov

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), May 27, 1999

Answers

The following from the guidebook at the link above:

'What would you say are the most important things to come out of these meetings?'

'...perhaps more importantly everyone ends up leaving less concerned about the personal impacts of the Y2K bug.'

Just what we need! LESS concern... As someone said in an earlier thread, these guys have passed the level of incompetence, arrogance, or disregard for those in whose service they stand and are neck deep in total unconsciousness.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), May 27, 1999.

"He also said that the program is not coming too late, because, among other reasons, the Year 2000 problem is "a big deal," and that it is better for the government to try to be as open as possible with all information, under the premise that the more knowledge citizens have, the less they will panic."

Ah heck, how about more "wisdom" rather than more knowledge? From Koskinen, as well as all the others.

*Sigh*

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), May 28, 1999.