Milne: Poole says GAO report on unprepared cities is part of "Vast Rightwing Conspiracy"

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But maybe CET is coming along...at least he believes in conspiracies now :)

Subject:Re: Only ***2*** Big US Cities Ready
Date:1999/07/15
Author:Paul Milne <fedinfo@halifax.com>
  Posting History Post Reply

smpoole7@bellsouth.net.shuvdaspam wrote in message
<378e5715.162845558@news.bhm.bellsouth.net>...
>On Thu, 15 Jul 1999 20:22:33 +0100, "merville"
><_merville@globalnet.co.uk_> wrote:
>
>>This seems to confirm my theory that the UK and US remediation agencies
are
>>working in tandem, releasing bad news at roughly the same time.
>
>I think the most likely possibility is being ignored here -- and I'm
>speaking as someone who has voted Republican in the past few
>elections. I think the Republicans in Congress, in spite of malaise
>and discouragement over their inability to "get" Clinton, are still
>looking for *some* way to cause the American people to turn on him.
>
>(Or, at the very least, demonstrate that he and AlGore-ithm are
>ineffective leaders.)
>
>Even though Y2K as an issue has been winding down for some time now,
>there are more than a few Repubs in Washington who are hoping against
>hope that they'll be use that (or SOME issue) to get him where Ken
>Starr couldn't.
>
>Hence: things like the GAO report, which is based on a telephone
>survey -- which is almost as useless as Virtual Remote Control
>Parapsychology.  Ask any Washington "insider" and they'll tell you
>that GAO reports are the classic political "hack" job, written almost
>entirely from a political basis.
>
>Detroit was incensed over the report, by the way.  I got a chuckle
>reading their response in the Free Press Online.  :)
>
>I don't like Clinton one bit.  I wouldn't vote for him if he was
>running against a striped lemur.  But I recognize what's going on
>here.
 
 
Of course you do, dear. Let me tuck you in, now. Time to back to sleepy-by.
 
 
Paul Milne
 
 
>
>-- Stephen (and has actually been going on for some time)
http://www.wwjd.net/smpoole



-- a (a@a.a), July 16, 1999

Answers

Well, I wouldn't take the conspiracy theory quite as far as Poole does, but he's right about the GAO. It's kind of the Burger King of government research services ("Have it your way, Senator/Congressman"), and its reports tend to be based on dated information. I'd much rather see what the testimony was from people who are operating in real time.

-- Thinman (thinman38@hotmail.com), July 16, 1999.

Poole's claim to have voted Republican is pure bullshit. I smelt him out a mile away. His quip on the GOP's inability to "get" Clinton, and his bullshit claim using Y2K to get him (Clinton) where Ken Starr couldn't, is a dead giveaway to his loyalty to this Administration.

he's a Liberal Socialist, all you need to do is read his condescending crap to realise he's a shill for bigger government solutions to all our ills.

Also just look at the lying hoax he fostered on this board. He has adopted the Socialist philosophy: The means justifies the ends. In other words, if its bullshit or unethical...so what as long as you save the GOOD people (pollyannas) from the Evil (doomers). His long condescending diversion tactics should serve as additional proof.

The guy is a liberal moron and an elitist. Pay him no mind.

-- Staunch (libert@rian.com), July 16, 1999.


What Mr. Poole has said above doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Could someone please explain who the GAO is, their function, etc. since I do not personally know any "Washington Insiders".

I haven't read the report Detroit gave myself, but if it got individuals interested in the remediation progress in their home city...leading them to ask questions and make some phone calls, then all I have to say is good for the GAO. Enough folks doing this may lead to some "real time testimoney" Thinman.

-- Lilly (homesteader145@yahoo.com), July 16, 1999.


"Poole's claim to have voted Republican is pure bullshit. "

Is a '90s Republican any better? I'm a social conservative, but can't imagine the '90s Republicans being much if any better.

Understand, I'm not defending Poole. I don't know him, and seldom read his posts. I just don't think the Republicans are a solution. Nor can I think of one...

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@Anonymous99.xxx), July 16, 1999.


Seems to me that between Clinton and the DNC getting money from the Chinese gov and Red Army, Reno refusing to appoint an idependant council despite rquirements by law to look into the matter, and the chinese getting a free ride at the nuclear weapon and areospace technology store they have something to "get" Clinton with.

"Vast right wing conspiracy". Yeah. Sure. Funny how it includes the "Right Wing" New York Times, CNN, NBC, CBS.

Watch six and keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.net), July 16, 1999.



Thinman,

The GAO report is based on information collected between June 28 and July 9:

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/tc/story.html?s=v/nm/19990716/tc/ yk_cities_3.html

[snip]

Nine cities -- New York; Houston; Philadelphia; San Diego; San Jose, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jacksonville, Florida; Memphis, Tennessee; and Milwaukee -- said they expected to complete preparations by Sept. 30.

The remaining 10 -- Los Angeles; Chicago; Phoenix; San Antonio, Texas; Detroit; San Francisco; Baltimore; Columbus, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; and Washington -- said they expected to be ready by Dec. 31.

Joel Willemssen, head of a GAO arm that tracks information systems, voiced concern about the laggards. He made his comments in a letter released at a hearing of the Special Committee on Y2K issues.

``Completing Y2K activities in the last months of the year increases the risk that key services will not be Y2K-ready in time for 2000 because there will not be enough time to deal with unanticipated complications,'' Willemssen said.

``Given the amount of Y2K work remaining to be done in the last months of the year, contingency plans are critical to ensure that cities will continue to provide key services through the year 2000 date change,'' he added.

The Senate panel displayed a chart showing that only 43 percent of the 21 cities' key systems were said by the cities themselves to be ready as of July for the date change.

The GAO carried out the study by interviewing city officials by telephone from June 28 to July 9.

[snip]

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 16, 1999.


The GAO is the General Accounting Office, an investigative/accounting (oversight) arm of Congress. GAO reports on a wide variety of subjects, including Y2K, may be accessed at www.gao.gov.

I doubt that many "Washington insiders" hang out at Mr. Poole's house. Remember, Mr. Poole is also the same fellow who, just off the cuff, decided in one of his newsletters to question the credentials and expertise of the Princeton Economic Institute. His methods here are classic "arguments by assertion" and "poisoning the well" tactics, which are glaring logical fallacies. The routine is simple: if you don't like what somebody or some organization is saying, why, just claim ex cathedra that "insiders" (or whoever) all really "know" that the source is no good anyway. Don't bother trying to muster any evidence or documentation in any attempt to actually disprove the studies that the source has presented.

I suggest that all interested parties peruse the GAO reports for themselves and decide how reliable and documented these studies are. It should be a matter of utter indifference to us what Mr. Poole's personal political affiliations are.

-- Don Florence (dflorence@zianet.com), July 16, 1999.


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