I looked on the ABC site for the link, but I believe that they post the next day. This story confirms compliance problems we've heard in the health care industry.

James Walker reported from the Napa Valley on Clinic Ole, one of the afore mentioned clinics that uses non-compliant computer equipment. This center did not accept federal money. They had applied for the $52,000 for a new system via ten grant programs that were all denied because of a lack of money for Y2K issues the woman said. They don't know where the money will come from. The woman was noticably concerned.

Hoff, Flint, Davis, Cherri, pollies....

Do you have the cash????

-- PJC (paulchri@msn.com), October 14, 1999

Answers

I'll get the link when it appears. Did anyone else see the story?

-- PJC (paulchri@msn.com), October 14, 1999.

PJC, thanks for the heads up.

I'm on the west coast so I have about an hour and a half before the story comes on. Waiting...

Mike

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-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), October 14, 1999.

* * * 19991014 Thursday

PJC:

As far as I have been able to determine, this story comports with my Y2K project experience last yesr at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM). Management was "bewildered"--I wasn't!--at the lack of response from their ~20,000 doctors, clinics, and hospitals to the Y2K issue.

Until May, 1998(!), T-BCBSM-PBP truly had not seriously considered the dire consequences of that situation for their very livelihood. When they finally confronted it, they "panicked"--leaving big brown stains in their drawers--then made hasty and serious (subrosa) draconian measures to strategically curtail ALL OPEN Y2K projects while maintaining the appearance "due diligence." No use throwing good money after "bad!"

It was a real trip! They GOT IT (Y2K), alright! They were whining and bemoaning the fact that they were "duped" into spending so many millions of $ $$,$$$,$$$ on their own systems--all for "naught!!"

My lips was sealed by non-disclosure "handcuffs." I hope I don't get in "trouble" now. Too, bad. They're "Y2K burnt toast" and not telling. Whistleblowers have got to come out of the woodwork--LIKE NOW! EXPOSE THE IMMORAL Y2K _LIES_ COMING FROM THE "KOSKINEN MINNIONS" AND OTHER ORGANS OF THE USA GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATIONS!! CORPORATE-STATISTS, ONE AND ALL!

The pathetic report from Medicare re having run actual tests with a puny 1-2% of authorized providers--and what providers these days aren't?--is another echo of the true Y2K status of the health care industry as a whole.

To the point of the "applied for" grants--I'm surprised SBA hasn't coughed up the money. When I contacted them in July, they were chagrined that more small businesses were not taking advantage of their quite liberal Y2P-specific financial program. Has "Napa Valley on Clinic Ole" (?) tried the SBA route?

Will this clinic be forthright with their community clientele about their problems? I think not! There is the crux of our cultural ethical failure!

Don't WORRY! Be Y2K HAPPY!

Regards, Bob Mangus

* * *

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus1@yahoo.com), October 14, 1999.

The Clinic Ole' mentioned in the above thread serves Hispanics in the Napa Valley. I am sure the rich who live in the beautiful Napa Valley gives a rats ass about them. All they care about is drinking the wine that the Hispanics work their tales off to harvest. However, now they have to worry about keeping the vineyard slaves healthy, so the fungus that is invading their fruit of the vine is stopped. The vineyard slaves no doubt will be the ones to administer the poison chemicals to the vines to keep the wine flowing. And so we shrug our shoulders and don't even think about what it takes to bring a bottle of good wine to the table of good fortune and hospitality. http://www.napanews.com/nc/home.nsf/front/current "Fungus Killing Vines."

-- Something to Think About (somethingtothinkabout@somethingtothinkabouttt.xcom), October 14, 1999.

Something-

Vineyard slaves? Jeez, wait a minute while I get my tye-dye shirt and put on a Joan Baez album. Do you think you could be a little more melodramamtic? Are we all supposed to feel sorry for the downtrodden illegal aliens who sneak into our country and earn ten times more than they ever could in Mexico? Should vineyard owners pay Mexicans $10 or $15 dollars an hour to pick grapes because seeing them do manual labor makes you feel uncomfortable?. Kids at McDonalds work hard for their minimum wage, are they FastFood Slaves? What about all the Car Wash slaves, all across our evil nation, where is the compassion for them? Not as politically correct I guess. Why don't you consider adopting a Mexican while your having your next glass of wine; you could free on soul from slavery, and it might make your bleeding heart feel a little better.

-- cavscout (re@lity.check), October 15, 1999.

Actually, Cavscout, most of the migrant workers in the U.S. are American citizens. (I used to work for migrant clinics in Michigan in various capacities.) Also, we've adopted four Hispanic kids whose parents were probably children or grandchildren of migrant workers. (Although this isn't something that I want to keep score of.) Your answer sounds like the name "Anderson" is more acceptable than the name "Gonzales". Face it, the U.S.A. is a melting pot.

-- Ann (hismckids@aol.com), October 15, 1999.

And I suppose you want me to stop eating fruits and vegetables too?

-- Something to Think About (somethingtothinkabout@somethingtothinkaboutt.xcom), October 15, 1999.

About migrant workers: my clergyman husband was Hispanic and although we had a big New England church, summers he also worked several nights a week for the Council of Churches, going out to the migrant camps of our farms to bring the men a little cheer, some music, prayer and the visit of a family, for we often brought our two young daughters. This thrilled the men, whose wives and children were back in Puerto Rico while their dads were earning the money to build them the concrete block houses with tin roofs in the mountains...and proudly showing us their photos.

Most of the farmers there were lousey #&%@#%$ to their workers! They did not even wish us to harmlessly come there in the men's free evenings after dark to give them this friendship! They lived in lovely homes while their workers lived in conditions which you and I would never live in. They worked long, hard hours in the hot sun. They never once complained. They were not in trouble with the law. They loved to play their guitars and sing hymns with us, and hold our girls on their laps, so homesick were they. They were paid very, very little, bare subsistence wages, not even our national minimum wage in that era.

So when anyone criticizes or mocks these good humans, I cringe and get very angry. You are very, very fortunate that they continue to pick the crops so cheaply, so that you can eat and drink all that good food and wine! When you go to bed, you should pray for them and their families. It could have been you, couldn't it???

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), October 15, 1999.

In my area of the USA the vast majority are illegal aliens. They consume an enormous amount of our local police departments time, you can't go to the grocery store on weekends without having a body guard. They get their medical treatment free, or at my expense rather.The illegals will be to take care of in 2000, sorry but I'll be taking care of my own and they will not even be on the list if I were to have extra!

-- American Citizen (noshopping@WE.com), October 15, 1999.

One at a time-

Ann- You said "Most migrant workers are U.S. citizens". I never said that the majority of farmworkers weren't U.S. citizens. I was pointing out that there is a very high percentage who are illegal. And my opinion is that if you break the laws of a nation, you shouldn't be entitled to the economic benfits of working there. Also Ann, it's great that you feel strongly enough to adopt hispanic kids. I have nothing but respect for hispanics whether they be farmworkers or not. If you read my post closely, I don't think you'll find any racism in it, just facts, which a lot of people don't like to hear. I realize we live in "A melting pot", I don't need a civics lesson.

Something- Yes, I do. If you're going to use hyperbole like "vineyard slaves" then you'd better have the balls to back up what you say by boycotting whatever you think is the root of the problem. Why would you support evil corporate farms that enslave the poor hispanics unlees you are really a hypocrite?

Elaine- I'm very happy that your husband was Hispanic, so was my mothers second husband; so what? Your story about ministering to the farmworkers is nice, and I'm glad that you took time to do it, but it is obviously of a bygone era. Of course farmworkers work long hours in the hot sun, and they will continue to do so. The crops are grown under the hot sun, and have to be harvested in a timely manner, or you, Elaine, won't get your belly full at night. But nowdays, there are laws that protect migrant workers as to wages, housing, and working conditions. Some workers in the Salinas Valley earn $15-20 for harvesting crops like celery. This is not the rule, but they are far from being treated like slaves. Almost all of the larger companies and many smaller ones have health and retirement benefits for their field workers. Why do you think that farm labor union membership is at an all-time low? Why do you think the border is overrun with people coming to the U.S.? It's not because they are treated like slaves; it's because in most cases (not %100) they work hard and are treated fairly. A great many manage to work their way into management positions, especially if they speak English well. In my line of work I often see brown faces in management meeting, and it is a welcome sight. So Elaine, I wasn't criticizing Hispanics; I was criticizing Mr./Mrs. something for using hyperbole to describe a situation that he/she seems to know nothing about.

-- cavscout (beenthere@recent.ly), October 15, 1999.

American Citizen-

I'll hazard a guess and say you're down in the San Diego area? Or is it Yuma, or Brownsville or Del Rio TX? People who don't live in the southwest don't realize the magnitude of the problem we have here. If Y2k is the real deal, I think the borders are going to bust WIDE open, and if martial law is declared, those will be the first places to be placed under it.

-- cavscout (notantihisp@nic.justantialien), October 15, 1999.