I'm sick of the government saying everything will be okay unless we, "the people" over-react. I'm sick of the bankers telling us what to do with our money. I'm sick of the financial gurus calling us ignorant investors. I'm sick of being told if I am prudent and prepare for Y2K I'm some kind of un-American radical. I'm sick of corporate America chastising people who may be using Y2K as a means of profit. Like these people are so perfect.

The richest corporations in the country capitalize on doom and gloom, the Insurance Industry and the media.

When the big boys move in and out of the market it is called simply "profit taking". However if you even consider it you are panicking.

This false since of concern the banks are trying to show their customers. Go in after Y2K (if they are still there) and see if they still care.

And the government: "Read my lips, no new taxes" "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinski. And I never told anyone to lie, not ever." Oh yes, and this one "Social Security is 100% Y2K compliant." Need I say more?

Let me remind you of who got us here. They did. The very people who are calling us names. Their greed and failure to correct this problem caused this thing called Y2K. Has this problem been a mystery? No. So why did it take 40 years to start fixing it? Incompetence and greed is the only answer. Now who is going to pay the price? You and I.

Imagine what you would be doing today if the people responsible for this had done their jobs. The jobs we pay them to do. I would be thinking of celebrating Christmas with my family and then looking forward to celebrating the turning of the century. Instead, I'm concerned about just surviving.

To put it mildly, I'm sort of upset and I will not soon forget.

No matter how this turns out, I will never view government and big business in the same light again. We have tested governments faith in us and our faith in government and found they don't trust us and we can't trust them. For you in the government; if you trusted me, you wouldn't need to lie to me. And you, big business, sorely, you have shown your only concern is the bottom line no matter what.

However, after having said my piece, do I expect any great change in the American people? Do I expect them to insist in the future that government be responsive to the people? Do I expect any kind of backlash by the American people toward those who have failed them? No I do not. Why? Because they will blind you with gold. And if you think I'm wrong just look at the stock market.

-- UR2Blame (upower@jps.net), December 07, 1999

Answers

What's wrong with the stock market???

-- rakin munnie (in@themarket.com), December 07, 1999.

I believe he was referring to Americans being complacent due to the huge growth in the prices of stock contributing to their feeling fat and happy. They are "blinded" to the corruption, incompetence, etc. by the "gold" of the high stock prices.

However, if the gold turns out to be ephemeral, I think there will be a great backlash. Americans are not pretty when they're angry.

-- Gus (y2kk@usa.net), December 07, 1999.

Man, this was a great piece of writing! I only wish I had read it on the front page of the Houston Chronicle or the Dallas Morning news, or the NY Times, or.....

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), December 07, 1999.

You are right UR2blame! Very well said. Do not forget!

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), December 07, 1999.

Being an American, who served, who paid his dues. I will take this opportunity to make this statement. It will garner me nothing but flames, I expect, but then I am a cynic and deserve what I earn.

Americans are a people just like this gentleman, a people who also were informed, a people who COULD have cared, a people who COULD have decided to "hold their feet to the fire" but sadly did not.

Americans are fat, lazy, self-centered, money-loving, idiots who are unable (or unwilling) to drag themselves away from the television long enough to go to the polls.

This whining and crying about what THEY should have done is precisely what got us where we are. It is NOT about what THEY should do. It is about what I should do. It is about what I believe should be done. It is about what I can do to make things better. If every citizen would take this to heart, we could over come the problems we are soon to face.

Sadly, I feel, we have lost the ability (as a people) to believe in high principles. We have lost the altruistic spirit that made us a great people. We believe it is about what I can get, what I can have, what I can earn. Moreover, we (as a people) view those few honest men and women who make the sacrifices as fools.

-- (...@.......), December 07, 1999.

I concur, it amazes me. They are all asleep, that alarm clock is going to be ever so painful when it goes off, forget Monday morning, people will wish they "had" work to go to at the end of the weekend.

-- Michael Teever (teotwawki_soon_2000@yahoo.com), December 07, 1999.

Thanks UR2Blame, another one for my archives...

-- matt (whome@somewhere.nz), December 07, 1999.

Yep, bottom line is that Y2K has provided an eye opening education for a lot of people as to how the world works, much of it never really considered until it became worrisome due to Y2K. I'd like to say that if Y2K is a bump in the road, there will be a real emergence of reform. But I know different.

And I also know that Y2K probably won't be a bump in the road.

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), December 07, 1999.

UR...you have legitimate gripes. However, after having gone through the same 'stage' as you, I have once again come to have a small but significant renewed belief in my fellow Americans, which can be demonstrated by several factors. We live in a society that tends to shun contrary-to-norm opinions (nothing new), so I do believe there are many citizens out there who are simply not saying what they really think, however the recent upsurge and overrun of CNN viewership to Fox news network says much about what people think of mainstream media bullshite. Don't underestimate your fellow americans.

They might just surprise the hell out of you. Stranger things have happened!

-- OR (orwelliator@biosys.net), December 07, 1999.

@ ole bud, I disagree with your statement "Americans are a people just like this gentleman, a people who also were informed, a people who COULD have cared, a people who COULD have decided to "hold their feet to the fire" but sadly did not"

I ask...informed by whom? Americans have had to struggle to get the truth. If it weren't for the absolute idiocy of the Klinton legacy and the long trail of horrid events, some of which HAD TO BE published in the mainstream media, Americans would have had somewhat of a hard time gleaning any truth out of the mainstream media. Fortunately, there are a number of Americans who THINK about what they are being told and we do have a movement underway of unknown proportions that IS NOT ASLEEP and does not intend to allow this charade to continue into 2000, if they have ANY SAY in the matter.

One last opinion. THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET. 1/3 OF AMERICANS ARE NOW CONNECTED. We shall see about the outcome. Just don't blame it on THE INFORMED AMERICANS, okay?

-- OR (orwelliator@biosys.net), December 07, 1999.

From one of the overreactors:

For those of you outside PG&E's area of influence, "Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the utility unit of PG&E Corporation, is one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric and gas utilities, serving about 13 million people in Northern and Central California. The company's 70,000-square-mile service area stretches from Eureka in the north to Bakersfield in the south, and from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Sierra Nevada in the east." (From their web site.)

An excerpt from their October 1999 SEC readiness disclosure:

"Although we expect our efforts and those of our external parties to be successful, given the complex interaction of today's computing and communications systems, we cannot be certain we will be completely successful. Accordingly, we have considered the most reasonably likely worst case Y2K scenarios that could affect us or the Utility, and we believe that they mainly involve public overreaction before and during the New Year period that could create localized telephone problems due to congestion, temporary gasoline shortages, and curtailment of natural gas usage by customers.

Customer overreaction? My fault...AGAIN? Geez, I'm getting good at creating havoc within the infrastructure...and they tried so hard to keep the lights on, and they're 100% Y2K Ready...well except for, "We don't expect outages to occur due to Y2K, but there are no guarantees. Because of the complex ways that computers and communications interact, and because we're dependent on other firms and groups, we regret that we are not able to issue any Year 2000 guarantees. But, be assured that we are taking strong measures to avoid service interruptions due to Y2K." (This is from their web site FAQ section.)

You're damn right I'm overreacting! I call this 'Y2K Ready except for those darn customers...and everybody else."

-- Casey DeFranco (caseyd@silcom.com), December 07, 1999.

UR2Blame, Amen to that!!! The mil posts here have inspired me of late, but they also serve to contrast attributes you have already described, which is the cold slap of reality.

Most americans I know think the internet is a virtual shopping mall; it IS THAT simple; I kid you not. The majority of those remaining think it's a free Hustler magazine.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 07, 1999.

I believe that it is God's plan for most people not to see the approaching disaster. She has blinded the masses with the greed and envy of the stock market casino. Only those pure of heart and ready to share with others will be prepared.

"The prudent man sees danger. But the simple pass it on and they suffer."

-- Harbinger (harbinger@oracle.com), December 08, 1999.