"...crime rates declining... "

BS!!!

In my town, the newspaper tells every day how there is more crime now than there was years ago. [I've only been reading that same paper for 20 years now! ] Ask any police department if they have requested LOWER budgets because crime is declining so much they "just don't need all that money any more". Ya, sure! And with a normal population increase of 2.+?% annually, there must be an increase in crime - not necessarily 2.+?%, but SOME - unless human nature has changed.

Yet government and media continue to tell us what we all know is a lie.

Forgive my skepticism, but I don't buy the BS being touted by the government and the media regarding the apparent non-effect of Y2k, either!

So - "I smell a rat!"

Thus, some questions might be :

Were the IEEE, the CIA, Congress, the UN. and some of the others of us ALL wrong with regard to Y2k and its possible effects?

Or, is it too early to tell whether we are in the midst of Y2k problems that will sooner or later manifest themselves?

I am a businessman and an entrepreneur; as Rothbard has defined the term, an entrepreneur is one who studies the past and attempts to predict future treads in such a way that he profits from his insights. Thus, we are ALL entrepreneurs - we all want to make our lives better, safer, more pleasurable in the future than they are now. Thus, it would be natural for most of us to study the Y2k phenomena and attempt, to the best of our ability, to serve our own best interests. Yet, my analysis of the Y2k event [so far] has been far more erroneous than I ever thought it would be - [if indeed it is...]

So what went wrong? What key ingredient are we missing?

How is it that some, especially critical thinkers, those trained and schooled and experienced in solving 'multi-variable' problems, seem to have erred so badly in their analysis and judgment of the outcome of the problem? [or did they...]

Bad information?

Bad analysis?

Bad judgment?

Incorrect premises?

Incorrect conclusions?

How can so "many of us", have erred so badly?

Will I admit my error if it ends up being such? Yes, of course. But at the moment, I think it's far too early to tell, and in fact, I think the fed/media spin is working to superb perfection. ["I still smell a rat"]

And, it may continue to work to superb perfection, until the sh** really does hit the fan!!

I have not had, nor do I have now, any vested interest in the outcome of the y2k event - other than, I like my hot shower and all the other benefits of a rational, civilized, industrial society. So, I was NOT 'hoping' for any preconceived outcome from the Y2k event. I WAS hoping to be able to cope reasonably well with whatever outcome there was (is), but I had no 'wish' for an outcome other than for it to be LESS than what I determined it might be.

As a designer and builder of machines and other highly technical apparatus, critical thinking, precision, accuracy, attention to detail, repetitive iterations of analysis, etc. - are all part of my daily routine. Does my being wrong [if I am] with regard to the outcome of Y2k mean that my ability to think critically and to solve real-word technical problems is somehow impaired now or in the future? Not at all!!! I am still as bright and sharp and competent and thorough as I have always been.

So - what happened in THIS case?

I must admit to having taken a so-called 'doomer' position, ONLY, however, because that's what the data seemed to predict. And, if that is what the data predicted, then that was the safest position to take. However, I have neither gained nor lost from the y2k effect - so far.

I am concerned, however, that lots of bright, competent folks who analyzed the data as well as THEY could, and who came up with similar conclusions as many others did may being to doubt their own veracity as self-reliant thinkers, achievers, doers and rational, competent individuals who are capable of taking charge of their own lives and coping with the stresses of life as they observe and interpret the data presented to them.

And maybe THAT is the key to the 'grand scheme', [IF there is one] - i.e. to discredit thinkers, intellectuals, creators, analysts, 'people of-the-mind', to the point that they have little or no standing or credibility in the economic community and social fabric. [ read Atlas Shrugged again; seems awfully apropos here..!] The establishment has always denigrated free-thinkers and problem-solvers - except when they do the bidding of the establishment.

Will the Y2K event (or non-event) be the final demise of free-thinkers?

The name of this game of life is to "adapt and survive"; we all do it; some better than others; generally, those with greater wit, cunning, stealth, etc. may survive better than others. However, all of us need good solid information upon which to make reasoned conjectures and then MORE solid information VERIFIED AND CONFIRMED in order to 'hang our hat" on a decision and then to act upon that decision.

Question: did we get "good accurate information" before the rollover or was that information doctored?

Have we been getting good, accurate information about the effects of y2k AFTER the rollover - or is it too early to tell?

I don't have the answers - maybe there are none for the moment. I do admit to being somewhat confused at this whole affair, however. The entire Y2k thing might be a good syllabus for further study in logic, critical thinking, mass psychology, success in media, propagandistic theory, etc.

But I do have lots of questions...

========= So, where do we go from here?

We still live under a governmental system that promises Nirvana while steadily taking us all closer to collective/socialist Hell.

We still live under legal and financial systems that make criminals of us all from near the moment of our birth, and pawns of others who try damned hard to control our labor, our income, our savings, our investments, our profits, our livelihoods, our lifestyles, our property, our families, our private thoughts, our beliefs, our behavior, our liberty.

Perfect system? NO!

The best around? Maybe...

Could it better? of course!

Is there much chance that it will get better? not if the trends of history are accurate. [it can ONLY get worse]

Answers? if you have them, I'm surely willing to listen!

Thanks for the opportunity to spout.

Perry

-- Perry Arnett (pjarnett@pdqnet.net), January 09, 2000

Answers

My vocabulary is nothing in comparison to yours, however like you I smell a rat, and I have been walking this earth long enough to know human nature. The bottom line is wealth, the dollar, gold, silver, and all that goes with with it. The very rich elite saw this as a opportunity to really milk the world dry. Of course they own the world already but that isn't enough they want your blood and guts also. They have money to buy knowledge when it is needed. Here is the scam as I see it. They through the governments and media built us up so that there would be no friction if the billions were requested from the treasuries of the world. Of course there was a problem but not to the magnitude that we were led to believe. And a few of those billions were used to correct those problems. The rest of those billions are safely salted away in secret accounts all over the world never to be seen again. Oh yes you will be made aware of them when you are force to pay them back with taxes. Money is the bottom line. My reasoning for this is how come those nations and business that put little or now money into it came out smelling like roses, the same as the good old US OF A?

-- Notforlong (Fsur439@aol.com), January 09, 2000.

There will continue to be y2k failures, some we will hear about some not.

Will the world continue to get worse, for some yes or others no. If this were not the case, the world would have ended long ago. I think the 3rd or 2nd world countries that did nothing have rolled back their computers to earlier dates, (on the software side). On the plc side they will fail and they will insert manual systems to babysit the process through, (labor is cheap for them).

Will we continue to see supply problems yes, but again as you pointed out they will not tell us, only make us pay for it.

I caution everyone to keep checking bills, cheques,cards(debit/credit) receipts and anything that comes off of a computer that may affect your life and credit positions with banks, governments and utilities.

And anyone dealing with foreign institutions (BE CAREFULL and Check)!

justthinkin com

-- justthinkin com (justthink@y2k.com), January 09, 2000.

Happy New Year, Perry!

Been asking myself those questions, too. Perplexing, isn't it? As I have written on another thread, I keep picturing the cartoon where the student is pointing to the end of a long equation and saying to his professor, "Here, a miracle happens." Will we ever know? Will we ever speak of the conclusions of our analysis should we determine sometime in the future that people should be alerted?

Nevertheless, I am grateful and relieved that lights shine all over the ol' blue marble tonight. May all the gracious forces be with us.

Be well, my friend.

-- Faith Weaver (suzsolutions@yahoo.com), January 09, 2000.