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	Citizens Against Y2K Waste By Declan McCullagh February 10, 1999 The announcement was as unsurprising as it was predictible: The federal government is going through your tax dollars as greedily as Homer Simpson at an all-you-can-eat barbecue joint. The good folks at Citizens Against Government Waste were suitably outraged in their report released yesterday at a press conference in Washington DC. Oh, we know we ought to be alarmed too. It's a terrible tragedy, fiscal mismanagement, special interests run amok, and all that. Somebody, most certainly, should do something. But we were busy listening to what the group had to say about Y2K. Let's watch Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, wield Y2K as a handy battleax against Big Government: "The government's inability to fix its Y2K problems may impair defense systems, air traffic and food safety. Many agencies already admit they will be fortunate to have mission-critical systems online after December 31st of this year. The IRS, for example, has spent $3.3 billion to upgrade its computer systems over the last 10 years -- and now is ready to spend another five to seven billion dollars to try to fix its notoriously obsolete computer systems. "The Department of Justice is also a technological slob. It is only 54 percent Y2K compliant. Only three agencies are in worse shape. The situation at DoJ has best been described by the Attorney General herself. Expressing frustration over software problems, Janet Reno last year unplugged her computer in favor of pen and pencil." All true, of course. But we remember "Rambo Reno" lecturing the assembled Washington press corps last May about embedded systems. "So many processes that we may not be aware of rely on computers, have an embedded chip that times what they do," she said at her weekly media briefing. One of the more clueless reporters suggested in all seriousness that the Justice Department ask Bill Gates to fix the Y2K problem in exchange for backing away from the antitrust suit. (Reno declined.)		FEATURES Book Reviews Y2K already has spawned its own genre. We tell you what books are worth buying. Chip 'n Little Cartoons Chip 'n Little goes on TV Chip 'n Little visits John Koskinen Chip 'n Little saves the world Warning: This cartoon has been called "foolish and tasteless." Y2K from A to Z Y2K Haiku Traditionalists may be shocked. Mad Cow Culture What does Y2K have in common with today's Mad Cow Culture? Answer: Everything. Declan McCullagh's Y2K articles Psychology of Y2K LATEST NEWS As of December 31, 1999 Get Your T-Shirt Quick Bill Gates Does Y2K Reader Feedback A Sarcastic Calendar Cooking After the Apocalypse A Real Y2K Disaster Hitchhiker's Guide Meets Y2K