52 QUESTIONS ABOUT THE 92 PERCENT
Essay by the Y2KNEWSWIRE.COM staff
The Clinton administration yesterday unveiled a miracle. Federal agencies have apparently pulled off a Y2K remediation marvel using some yet-unmentioned technique or technology still apparently being kept secret. Agencies that weren't finished with remediation just weeks or months ago have now finished remediation, testing, and implementation: a process that most Y2K project managers agree takes years. Said John Koskinen, the President's Y2K czar, "These systems have gone through the full stages of not only analysis and assessment, but remediation, testing and implementation."
This, announced by the Clinton administration on the 3/31/1999 deadline. Thirteen of 24 agencies are now self-reporting they are 100% compliant, and the Clinton administration claims that a total of 92% of all so-called "mission-critical" systems have been fixed. This is a gigantic leap from the 80% reported compliance just two weeks ago by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). That's right: 12% progress in just two weeks... if you believe it.
Of course, the claims are highly suspect. Even the press can't get this story straight. Today's news from the Associated Press contains these two contradictory lines: "The President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion reported that 92 percent of the government's 24 largest agencies are Y2K compliant." And, "Koskinen said 13 of the 24 federal departments now report their mission-critical systems are 100 percent compliant."
Ninety-two percent of 24 agencies comes to 22 agencies, not the 13 being claimed by Koskinen. Once again, even mainstream, respectable news outlets are confusing the claims (and the public). See:
dailynews.yahoo.com
HOW IT WAS "ACHIEVED"
As we documented over the last few days, the federal government has dropped over 3,000 systems from the "mission-critical" list, allowing agencies to claim compliance on the remaining systems (which largely turned out to be the ones that were repaired). Some people argue that the initial effort to categorize systems might have been sloppy, and this is simply a cleanup of the list. If this were true, however, we would see some systems being dropped and others being added to the list. But this is not what's happening. Recent events surrounding "The List" can only be described as a wholesale cleansing effort to remove non-compliant systems from scrutiny.
Even more, the claims made today seem to have left out details on the testing and implementation phases of Y2K repairs. We know this is approximately half the job, requiring at least a year for testing of large-scale systems. Are we to believe that testing has already been completed?
If so, our federal government pulled off a miracle. This one will go down in history as proof that government is highly effective and can create new technologies or techniques at a moment's notice any time sufficient need arises. If this is true, fire all the private-sector programmers and entrepreneurs: government can do it better, it turns out.
Which is more likely: that bureaucrats engineered a programming miracle in record time, completed year-long testing in months, and overcame incredible odds through the dedicated work of genius employees? ...or that our federal government is still fudging the numbers in order to paint a pretty picture?
YOU GUESSED IT
The answer is obvious: we're still being fed half-truths about Y2K in an effort to get us to look the other way. And it's working. The press largely refuses to comment on the fraudulent nature of the claims, blindly repeating the good-news claims, totally absent the usual journalistic standards of proof. If a new herb cures a man's cancer, the press scoffs. "Where's the proof?" But when an un-trusted, highly-inefficient federal bureaucracy pulls off the greatest programming miracle in history, it's reported as fact. No questions asked. No demands for proof.
Notably, both CNET Radio and a CBS News affiliate contacted Y2KNEWSWIRE.COM for comments yesterday. A few news organizations, thankfully, are making an effort to get both sides of the story.
THE CLAIMS:
Remember, the claims now being made are as follows:
92% of all mission-critical systems have been repaired
These systems have not only been repaired, they have all been tested
Furthermore, all the systems have been implemented, on-line, and they're up and running right now.
These claims lead us to some important questions. Fifty-two of them, in fact. Feel free to share this list with anyone you know who is even slightly interested in Y2K:
y2knewswire.com |
