This is a follow on note from Charles Moorehead. I quote these clips from his note:

The y2k problem resulted from basic human frailties: (4) The failure of leaders to assume their rightful Responsibilities. Charles Moorehead (cmooreh890@aol.com), August 13, 1999

Ed, I don't know if this is in the scope of your book or not but I feel so strongly about this issue that I felt compelled to follow up on it. I think the issue goes beyond the point Charles has made. Our leaders (be they corporate or government) are specialists in avoiding, nasty issues (deception) and denying nasty issues (lying). This trend seems to be increasing without any corrective actions being effective. The example of our highest leaders is setting the guidelines of conduct for less important players and even our most precious resource, our children.

The rules under which "the powers at be" operate are just not correct. While I could probably write a book on the topic which could include topics such as "profit is more important than anything", "its OK to dump poor quality goods in the third world", "child labor is fine", "rampant consumerism is a fine way of life" and may other topics, I will concentrate on what I think is the most blatant example, the inappropriate use of "the golden rule", telling the truth. Let me see if I can simplify my perception of how our leaders (be they corporate or government) use the golden rule.

Q. Did you do something or did something happen.

Examples:

Did you have sex with Monica, X, Y, Z,  ? Did you breathe the smoke ?

A. The Lye.

Examples:

No absolutely not, in no way, it depends in what you mean by your definition of the word breath (or whatever)

---- pause for time while the truth is revealed -----

Second Answer.

Some sort of apology.

Examples:

I'm sorry I apologize

Then, with no repercussions, back to business as normal.

The more I listen to statements from the various levels of Government and corporate America (and of course, the rest of the world) the rarer I see a truthful, honest answer. How can we expect our leaders to accept responsibility for directing their organizations to an appropriate Y2K strategy (either the remediation efforts to avoid any problems or as the cleanup activities after not reaching a successful level of compliancy) if the rules they subscribe to are:

1) Lye 2) If you don't get caught - yea. 3) Do get caught - say you're sorry - onwards and upwards.

In other words, the minimal acceptable behavior for our business leaders should begin with the use of the golden rule, telling the truth.

==== As always, my real e-mail address Jim Standen jstanden@ucalgary.ca

-- Jim Standen (jstanden@ucalgary.ca), August 17, 1999

Answers

Jim,

I think most of us would agree with your assessment of the situation. The question is: how bad a crisis would we need in order for the standards of acceptable behavior (on the part of politicians, leaders, business executives, and ordinary folks) to change? My guess is that a "moderate" Y2K crisis won't be enough; it would take a severe (level 7- 9) crisis to do it.

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (HumptyDumptyY2K@yourdon.com), August 21, 1999.

It's way past the time for "political action" or "writing your congressmen" or even submitting "petitions for redress of grievances"

The only solution I see is an expansion to other agencies of that outlined in the book "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross (see reviews and order from www.amazon.com or www.loompanics.com)

Barring a scenario like that, civil war, revolution, or a Y2K TEOTWAWKI scenario, the slide into the shit will continue.

-- A (A@AisA.com), August 17, 1999.

A... I agree with you 100%. When I was a kid, if a President lied or had an extramarital affair he would have been run out of office on a rail. (I am not saying it didn't happen, but if they got caught they left the scene quickly and quietly). So many, many, many, things that go on today would have been sooooo socially and morally unacceptable 30 years ago. I remember in the early 70s when Howard Ruff (Ruff Times) and Gary North (Reminant Review) were convinced that we were headed for hyperinfaltion and then into another Great Depression. There was a very large move to the rural areas. Everyone was going back to the land. There were militas set up to protect our constitutional rights; Garden Way had a big store in every major city where you could buy everything you needed to survive on your peiece of land. Troy Bilt rotatillers became the Mercedes Benz of the garden. We bought guns and ammo, we bought gold and silver, we bought whole grain and grinders, we bought jars and canners and dehydrators and Victorio Sqeezers, and bolts of denium, we bought open pollenated seeds, we bought composters and we bought cheese presses and goats. And we learned how to grow food, dress a chicken, milk a goat and make cheese, can fruit and veggies, cook on a wood stove, make a spring house and cut 10 cord of wood a year. We were ready. We were all dressed up for the party and it never came. But now in retrospect, I realize that it did come. It came silently in the middle of the night and ratherthan waking up after a 3 day weekend and finding the banks closed, it came slowly. Its like eating the elephant on bite at a time. We ate that elephant over the next 30 years and we became very toxic but we haven't been healthy in so long that we don't remember being in good shape. Can you imagine the gov't trying to slap these gun controls on us in 1970? There would have been a revolution. In the long run, neither Gary North or Howard Ruff were wrong. Its just their sense of timing was off. I think Gary has found his watch this time.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), August 21, 1999.