Federal payments including salary, retirement, social security etc. The Government apparently knew years ago that Zip would not zip in 2000 and instead of warning people, they decided to do an end run and pay everything possible by Direct Deposit. The only problem is that they did not recognize the vulnerability of the banking system, electric power system, telephones, petroleum industry, railroads etc. and put all their eggs in one basket called direct deposit. What other surprizes is the Clinton Administration holding back for us? The campaigns were based not on what is good for the country but on what the polls showed the people wanted. Lies, lies and more lies. George Bush got in trouble and maybe lost the election because of one no new taxes pledge that the Democrats harped on. Now with all of the scandal and lying, the Senate did not have the courage to do the right thing. The stock market is up but do people feel prosperous? Do they have any savings? What happens if the stock market crashes? If the mail system breaks, you will not be able to order parts, products, supplies etc. if the Internet does not survive. The value of all of the Internet companies will crash as there will be no earnings even if the banks are still working. To me, this is one of the worst pieces of news released this year. Sell stocks, buy food.

-- Steve (incredulous @notstupid.com), February 27, 1999

Answers

Many companies are considering using snail-mail as part of their contingency plan in case phone and fax and electronic banking don't work. Little do they know the Post Office has yet to complete it's inventory! Gary North has quite a few good links on the Post Office trouble. Just a few weeks delay in checks could have a large negative contribution to the slowdown.

Banks gets a lot of attention but very little is said about the Post Office. Perhaps people feel that check and bill deliveries are just going to happen naturally.

-- Tomcat (tomcat@tampabay.rr.com), February 27, 1999.

If any part(s) of the banking system work(s), direct deposit is also a good way of getting money in the banks and, perhaps, holding lots of it there via withdrawal limitations. Negates problems from those who might hold out their checks altogether as a protest.

-- Cynical Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), February 27, 1999.

If the USPS goes down:

On a personal level, statements from and bill payments to utilities, credit-card issuers and mortage holders arrive late or not at all.

What happens then?

Oy weh!

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), February 27, 1999.

Connecticute is second only to Deleware in lack of Y2K remediation according to latest gov post. For the first time since 1985, my Janruary teachers retirement check was a FULL two weeks late. This months was on time. My Y2K mind is searching for that answer !! Anyone else in CT with same problem ?? Got mouse traps ? Cheese ? Eagle

-- Harold Walker (e999eagle@freewwweb.com), February 27, 1999.

It's going to be difficult for anyone to get paid or collect payments when the Postal Service is closed and most computers won't work.

Got Messenger?

-- @ (@@@.@), February 27, 1999.

Before we blame the government for knowing several years ago that the post office would bomb in 2000, stop and think. Direct deposit is good for check mailers. Saves lots of postage and is more reliable. Also good for people receiving check -- saves them a trip to the bank, and when a lot of older Social Security recipients are involved, it saves them getting ripped off. Theft of SS checks was a major problem.

And, we've known for some time that the petroleum industries are in some sort of trouble. No gas -- no mail (and no FedEx, ups, or other service).

Although the government makes a tempting target, don't give them the credit of being so all knowing as to be able to predict Y2K years ago. If they did, they'd have fixed it.......simple self preservation on the part of the managers involved.

-- De (dealton@concentric.net), February 27, 1999.

De,

Problem is that the government knew as far back as 1985, but everyone involved in the computer issues decision making kept wave their hands and saying "We'll fix it tomorrow." For the most part, that attitude is what got us into this mess in the first place.

I had to fight tooth and nail to get a computer system bought in 1985 to use the then new requirement that the software be written to accept four digit dates. It didn't help much, because the hardware couldn't handle the date change, but we tried. And when the tests failed we made noise to get it made an issue and to get things fixed.

But again, the managers all said "The year 2000 is a long time from now and we'll fix thing tomorrow." I can't think of any better analogy of "tomorrow" than "the Twenty-First Century". The managers that made those decisions didn't lose their petty workplace empires because of those decisions. But their replacements will suffer the loss of their little empires. All the while the real culprits have long fled the scene.

If there's anything about what went on that really frosted me, it was the "We'll all be retired by then." attitude of those deciding not to take action. Well, I hope they are retired and living in some retirement community that really suffers because of Y2K. It'll serve them justly.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), February 27, 1999.

The government knew there was a problem since the early sixties. The Pentagon made a decision in 1967 to stay with the two digits, and that is what really locked us in. All of the companies manufacturing for the defense industry had to be compatible, and it all mushroomed from that point forward.

-- @ (@@@.@), February 27, 1999.

If the Federal Government had not arrogated to itself the monopoly on mail, there would be other mail services, now. (UPS, Fedex, DHL, etc., only exist because of a loophole regarding "packages".) The Constitution authorizes U.S. Postal Service, but didn't say anything about prohibiting competition in the service; that was decided by the corrupt court system.

There will be some sort of mail service ITSHTF, even if it's only that of a Kevin Costner "Postman" (movie) scenario. And much more expensive for awhile.

("The Postman" is worth watching as a post-apocalypse scenario. Might look up the book, also.)

-- a (A@AisA.com), March 05, 1999.

The government has been pushing direct deposit for years, before they had a clue about Y2K. The main reason is to get people used to all-electronic transactions and reduce the cash (potentially "illegal) economy.

-- A (A@AisA.com), March 05, 1999.