White House now has electronic mail ?

[news.crd.ge.com!e7sa!groleau@uunet.uu.net (Wes Groleau X7574)]

>         LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
>     IN ANNOUNCEMENT OF WHITE HOUSE ELECTRONIC MAIL ACCESS

> ......................, we must have a government that can show
> the way and lead by example.  Today, we are pleased to announce

Installing e-mail in 1993 is "showing the way and
leading by example"  ?

> ............... in this venture.  Congress is also getting
> involved, and an exciting announcement regarding electronic mail
> is expected to come from the House of Representatives tomorrow.

I'm really excited!  Now my Congressman can blow his own horn
with a taxpayer purchased computer instead of a taxpayer purchased
envelope!

>........, the e-mail project can help to put us on the leading
edge of progress.

See first comment.

> the White House is not yet capable of sending back a tailored
> response via electronic mail.  We are hoping this will happen by
> ........

>     A number of response-based programs which allow technology
> to help us read your message more effectively, and, eventually
> respond to you electronically in a timely fashion will be tried

Translation: We will have artificially un-intelligent software
that will scan your message for key-words, assemble a form letter
that generically discusses some topic superficially related to
your message, and beam it back to you.  Just like civil servants
have been doing so effectively for decades.  Maybe we'll even
simulate the six-week delay that we currently use to pretend we
actually think about what we do.

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In all fairness, AI is the ONLY way they can handle the traffic
they'll get without adding another 500 clerks to the staff....