Do I even really need to explain what's going on here? We all know the Defense Department, Medicaire, and the IRS are behind on their Y2K work. Read this and see if you think the public will "get it" even before July 1999:

http://www.cbs.com/prd1/now/template.display?p_story=106820&p_who=network

(AP)The Internal Revenue Service is now posting "special taxpayer alerts" on its Web site to describe errors and other problems, how many people are affected and where they might live and what they can do about it.

"We know that even a little glitch in an IRS system can affect many thousands of taxpayers," IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti said Monday. "They need to be alerted to the problem and what we're doing to fix it."

The page located in the "What's Hot" section at www.irs.ustreas.gov is part of an IRS effort to insure its just-completed overhaul of most key computers to comply with year 2000 does not cause undue hardship for taxpayers.

The IRS has spent 18 months rewriting an estimated 50 million lines of code to be ready for 2000, when some computers could go haywire if they mistakenly read the last two "00" digits as 1900.

"We're in excellent shape for this tax filing season, but we all know that glitches can occur in a system as large and as old as the IRS'," Rossotti said.

Examples of possible errors include huge tax notices, refund delays, mistakes in IRS publications or failure to properly credit taxpayer accounts. The Web site will enable the IRS to let people know if their particular problem has wider implications and what to do about it.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 12, 1999

Answers

Speaking of the Internal Revenue Service, that's where the biggest disaster is going to be. When the year 00 arrives, a child born then, is interpreted as a 100 year old person, who according to Social Security records has not received any pension, yet. So the computer will mail out a lump sum for 35 years worth of Social Security, which is $250,000. Multiply this with 4,000,000 babies, and it comes to an extra $1 trillion, which the IRS has to produce for the year 2000, alone.

-- Obin (Obin@fla.net), January 12, 1999.

Obin, Social Security and the IRS are two separate agencies. Do you think anyone would trust their SS checks to the IRS?

-- Bill (bill@microsoft.com), January 12, 1999.

You can go directly to the IRS' "Index of Problem Alerts" at this address:

http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/hot/prob-alert.html

This looks like a great tool for keeping track of their "glitches." So far they're in good shape.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 12, 1999.

lets see... 18 months "rewriting 50 million lines of code"...

They had to wade through much more than 50 million lines, they rewrote an estimated "50 million" lines and they did it in 18 months. Sure they did... and it's all perfect.

The IRS is burnt toast.

How will people react when they receive those "huge tax notices, refund delays, mistakes in IRS publications or failure to properly credit taxpayer accounts"?

Loss of confidence, anger, awareness, panic, fear.

"We're in excellent shape for this tax filing season" so please send in your checks just as you always have. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

I think they better move to a flat tax or national sales tax real soon.

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

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

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), January 12, 1999.

Yes, indeed they should get cracking on an alternative tax system. But why haven't they?!

Can it really be that the IRS has pulled this off? That seems simply impossible to me.

The only other alternative seems that if they suggested an alternative tax scheme now it would be a sure signal that things are terribly broken. So the Exec and Legislative branches of gov't sit and wait; after the panic begins to simmer they can come rushing out with a new tax scheme for 1999. Is that really possible?

I hate to think so conspiratorially but I just can't see other alternatives.

-- Franklin Journier (ready4y2k@yahoo.com), January 12, 1999.

Some people don't care what IRS does.

http://www.1313mockingbirdlane.com/skinner/

-- ntp (ntp@ntp.com), January 12, 1999.

ROFLOL. The Social Security Administration spent 8 years working on 30 million lines of code. They started with 400 programmers and ended with 700 programmers and a support staff of 2800. BUT ! They are not 100% finished yet. And someone fixed 50 million lines in 18 months? Someone is lying or they failed 3 rd grade math. Sounds like they want your money. As usual. LOL

-- mrmike (mrmike@av1611.com), February 01, 1999.