HELP! I lost a message

[L. Detweiler]

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 at 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?