LETTERS.MILLENNIUM HYPE AND THE 21ST CENTURY Editor To quote Forrest Gump--"Stupid is as stupid does." Do your readers know that all the attention over the year 2000 being part of the new millennium and the 21st century was just hype? The national TV news media, magazines (including State Legislatures in its January edition), etc., succumbed to this fallacy to make something out of nothing. The math is simple. There are 1,000 years in a millennium. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. our calendar, this all started with the year 1 A.D. After 365 days, we were in year 2 (Jan. 1, 02) and so on. Ten centuries of 100 years. During this first millennium, there were 365,000 days plus 240 leap days and two extra leap days for years 400 and 800. A total of 365, 242 days. The second millennium began on Jan. 1, 1001 and will have 365,000 days plus 240 leap days and three extra leap days for 1200, 1600 and 2000, for a total of 365, 243 days in the second millennium. The problems seems to be, according to Forrest Gump--we have attained only 364,877 days in his second millennium at the end of the day of Dec. 31, 1999. We still have 366 days to go in the year 2000 to reach the end of the second millennium and into the 21st century. The 21st century and the third millennium do not begin until 12:00:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2001. The 21st century hype in January was marketed in such a way to get us to spend our money twice. Next year it will be called a simple mistake associated with Y2K See Y2K problem and Y2K compliant. Y2K - Year 2000 . Harry Stille Representative South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). ALSO RESTRICTS TEEN DRIVERS Editor: I am writing to bring your attention to an oversight in your "Statestats" column in the February 2000 issue of State Legislatures. It provides statistics on the states that have adopted some form of graduated licensing for teenage drivers, but fails to include the District of Columbia. The Council of the District of Columbia The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of Washington, D.C. Because the United States Constitution places the District of Columbia under the sole control of Congress, all acts of the Council of the District of Columbia are subject passed a graduated licensing law for teenagers on Nov. 2, 1999. This law, which will go into effect on Sept. 1, is one of the most comprehensive graduated licensing laws in the country. Considering the importance of these laws and their effectiveness in saving lives, I hope you will add the District of Columbia to your list. Carol Schwartz Carol Schwartz (born January 20, 1944, in Greenville, Mississippi) is a politician from Washington, D.C., who is an at-large councilmember on the Council of the District of Columbia. Council Member District of Columbia UNPRECEDENTED CENSUS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED Editor: A special note of thanks to the National Conference of State Legislatures The abbreviation NCSL redirects here. For the British educational institution see National College for School Leadership. The National Conference of State Legislatures for working with the U.S. Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census in an unprecedented outreach campaign known as "How America Knows What America Needs" to promote full participation in Census 2000. This campaign challenges elected officials across the country to increase their communities' response rates by at least 5 percentage points over their 1990 mail response rates and to foster a welcoming environment for census takers. I am pleased that NCSL NCSL National Conference of State Legislatures NCSL National College for School Leadership NCSL National Conference of Standards Laboratories NCSL National Council of State Legislators NCSL National Computer Systems Laboratory (NIST) is one of the supporting organizations. Over the past few decades, the number of people who have mailed back their census forms has been steadily declining. Census 2000 could be the event that reverses that troubling decline in the level of civic engagement across our country. Census 2000 is an opportunity for civic renewal. It is participatory and inclusive of inclusive of prep. Taking into consideration or account; including. all residents in America--everyone is counted. It is significant to all communities--both for representation and resource allocation resource allocation Managed care The constellation of activities and decisions which form the basis for prioritizing health care needs . The success of Census 2000 depends on local communities and civic-minded organizations such as yours to help rally public awareness and ensure that all people participate in Census 2000. Your sponsorship and participation, along with that of thousands of other leaders across the country, can make Census 2000 the inaugural civic ceremony for our nation in the new millennium. Kenneth Prewitt Director U.S. Census Bureau |
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