A few weeks ago our union informed us that SSA would not be allowing any leave the first week of the new year due to Y2K concerns.A few days later our Commissioner indignantly informed us that this was wrong.Employees would only be asked to voluntarily be at work and that normal leave approval standards would apply.Ahem,yesterday at a staff meeting we were told that the Agency will not approve any leave the first week of the new year.I guess we are considered to be so stupid we forgot the absolute lie we were told previously. On the heels of that my wife just pointed out to me that SSA has been forced to admit that 32,000 recipients just got notified that their benefits would stop in Jan 2000 due to a Y2K glitch.Funny since we were recently told by our Agency that SSA was COMPLETELY compliant.Now the claim is that only mission-critical are ready.This double whammy has pushed me to the brink that I cannot believe our Agency at all.I see Paula Gordon as absolutely right when she says Mr Clinton is knowingly downplaying Y2K.There is cover-up but to what extent I do not know.

-- Dennis Chornomaz (Dchorno@aol.com), September 04, 1999

Answers

Welcome to the 2% club.

Congrats on looking out of the box.

-- Dan G (earth_changes@hotmail.com), September 04, 1999.

You have no time to leisurely sit back and decide how to proceed from here. You need to act now on Y2K preparation. Scroll down and you will see Stan Faryna's "14 DAY PREP..." thread, a great place to start.

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), September 04, 1999.

Dennis -- If I were you, I might develop a serious case of the flu the first week of January. Assuming you haven't already moved out of DC-VA, if that's where you hail from. Thanks for the update.

It's SO reassuring the the Federal agency which IS compliant is having these minor, err, changes of scope about mission-critical systems. But then, Hoff says the non-mission critical systems never mattered, so not to worry, Dennis. And all the other agencies have learned from SSA's example.

What example would that be, Hoff? Lying?

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), September 04, 1999.

Dennis Chornomaz, welcome to our Skeptics Club ;^)
We all keep looking for good news, any indication that the LIES have any reality in substance. Nope, not yet.
To ease growing anxiety, physical activity doing actual prep work is theraputic, practical, sensible, and the only intelligent response.

This Forum is full of fellow Preppers who offer comradery and practical tips. Visiting our Club will keep your motivation level revved and your dark humor fed.

You have entered the End Game. Proceed with Due Caution!

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 04, 1999.

Welcome to the Y2K disconnect club, Dennis!

Weve learned to read lips, but watch with eagle-eyes... what they DO... NOT what they say.

Its a developed skill.

However, we ARE still wondering... What IS the government definition of compliance anyway? And... Whos really Y2K ready? Or not. 

Diane

Suggested reading...

* 14 DAYS OF PREPS: Get started on your Y2K preparations

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001Lbc

TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Preparation Forum (Y2K Prep Only Discussions)

http:// www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic= TimeBomb%202000%20%28Y2000%29%20Preparation%20Forum

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 04, 1999.

Welcome, Dennis. You'll find most serious posters (not disruptors) here are skeptics of the first order. There's some sort of connection between GIs and skeptics of the government.

Remember, you labor in the same administration whose law enforcement agency has been caught in a flat out lie. When it comes to Y2K, it's about spin, obfuscation and just plain ole lying.

-- Vic (Roadrunner@compliant.com), September 04, 1999.

There's a point I'm not clear on. As I said on the SSA thread below, my paper said the SSA glitch caused people to say their benefits would be stopped on "January 1, 1900." It did not say whether the persons were actually due to have benefits terminated 1-1-2000 and were just notified of a goofy date or whether these people are not due to have any benefits stopped.

If Dennis or someone else has further info., please add.

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), September 04, 1999.

Dennis,

"SSA has been forced to admit that 32,000 recipients just got notified that their benefits would stop in Jan 2000 due to a Y2K glitch"

When and to whom did they admit this? That's a huge news story.

Newslink, anyone?

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), September 04, 1999.

See also...

SSA Tells 32,000 That Payments To Stop 1-1-1900

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001Loz

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 04, 1999.

Never mind. I'm off to the other thread.

Thanks Diane!

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), September 04, 1999.

My interpretation of the SSA snafu, as reported in the Greenville News (SC), is that the reason for termination of certain benefits on Jan. 1 has nothing to do with a Y2K glitch. The reason the date of termination of benefits was wrong by 100 years was definitely a Y2K glitch.

-- Bill Byars (billbyars@softwaresmith.com), September 04, 1999.

Excerpt from:

U.S. Naval War College Year 2000 International Security Dimension Project
GroupSystems Inputs for 4 March 1999 DoD Consequence Management/CINC Strategies Workshop
I. Y2K Mania/Countdown Phases: Feedback on Policy "Do's and Don'ts"

There is an interesting and very important sociological phenomenon occurring between some of the owls and roosters responsible for national-level political or financial policy. It has already begun and will begin to harden as we approach 1 January. The owls ridicule even the rational roosters as the owls' fears of what panic may mean becomes more palpable. The more reasonable roosters become even more concerned as they see the owls' continuing disinformation about what is ground truth concerning levels of remediation/confidence in our systems working properly. This in turn makes the roosters (that is, the reasonable ones, not the wackos) dig in their heels, because their perceptions are that those who should be responsible are not being so. This is all to say that there will be much greater distrust and lack of cooperation at the highest policy levels unless a bridge can soon be found. Dr. Landes' approach is, I believe, correct. The owls' approach will not work for this crisis. It is all pervasive. A proper approach should be to encourage populations and entities to have some preparation just as they would buy insurance against an unlikely event. That doesn't mean it will happen, but it would calm fears among a great number of people in the US. [The hardening of boundaries between roosters and owls is the single greatest risk to clear and successful planning.]

May Reasonable Roosters continue to crow!!!!!

-- cb (crow_loudly@lies_and_disinformation._), September 04, 1999.

We're not "Chicken Littles" just "Reasonable Roosters". Just like the "Owls" to think they know-it-all.

-- cb (_@_._), September 04, 1999.

In Syria, owls are bad omens. To see one fly over a house is likely to be interpreted by folks as foretelling the death of someone who lives there.

-- scooter (praying@little.rug), September 04, 1999.

"I wish that I may never think the smiles of the great and powerful a sufficient inducement to turn aside from the straight path of honesty and the convictions of my own mind."

- David Ricardo

-- Stan Faryna (info@giglobal.com), September 04, 1999.

P.S. Welcome aboard, Dennis. BTW, I am just outside the beltway, if you are nearby, let's meet up.

-- Stan Faryna (info@giglobal.com), September 04, 1999.

Mea Culpa I should have said the SSA notices promised a 1/1900 termination of benefits The point is that this was a Y2K error and SSA had to come clean about the previous pronouncements that they were totally compliant.It takes me a long time to come to hard conclusions but my wonderful Agency did it.Once a doubter of Y2K rosy posturing I am now a crusty cynic.Ouch.

-- Dennis Chornomaz (dchorno@aol.com), September 04, 1999.

Stan, I think both of you should get OUT of there ASAP!

-- FLAME AWAY (BLehman202@aol.com), September 04, 1999.

On 09031999 a woman posted on Michael Hyatt's discussion board that her daughter, who will turn 18 in early 2000, received a letter stating that her SSA benifits would terminate early 1900(she stated date on letter was daughters Birthdate) The y2k glitch is the 1900 not the termination of benefits. Michael asked for a faxed copy of the letter for documentation and research. Someone posted watch out the SSA doesn't bill them for the 100 years of benefits paid. :^)! So much for 10 years of y2k remediation.

-- margie barndt (bvcmargie @ yahoo.com), September 05, 1999.