I have been *drowning* in email lately, and I think I accidentally deleted a message that appeared on the list. It had the following text. Could anyone send me the original message ASAP? this is a matter of critical importance. Also, could the original author contact me if possible? I thought I sent you email but I can't find that either. Yes, I've got a bad case of cyberspatial insanity. tx. ===cut=here=== Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1993 10:43:47 -0700 (PDT) I agree that messages to president@whitehouse.gov, or to the whitehouse area on Compu$erve are not acknowledged. I have sent several to each as well as a letter direct to President Hillary, none of which were acknowledged. I wrote about a major money-waster in government medical care systems which could easily save the government in the three-digit millions. For what its worth, the boondoggle is this: When DOD decided to automate their medical facilities they put out an RFP. A company called SAIC was aware that the entire software system that VA uses to automate its 1000 bed hospitals is available for free under the FOIA. SAIC got a copy of all the VA software, and bid to DOD to take this VA software which the government already owns, and sell it back to DOD for giga-bucks. Now they (DOD) must negotiate with and pay for every change they want to that software. Meanwhile the VA programmers continue to improve the VA software (DHCP) as salaried government employees. In fact, now DOD is looking to pay SAIC to write interface routines to allow the DOD software (CHCS) to share info with the VA software (DHCP). You would think that this would get their attention, but no. Instead we continue to pay a private firm to sell us our own software. Hows this for medical care cost over-runs?