But we have to wonder if talk is all there is. It is reprehensible that no one in the D.C. government seems to be able to resolve the persistent problems that are keeping D.C. public school teachers and other city employees from being paid properly. The computer system didn't create the problem. The computer system isn't responsible for correcting the problem.
People tell computers what to do.
People should be held accountable for this fiasco, which goes far beyond the stage of embarrassment. The very least our government can do for the men and women it employs is to pay them - the proper wage and on time. After all, it is government that holds private industry accountable when private employers fail to live up to their responsibilities to their workers. Y2K excuses aside, it was a ludicrous case of poor judgment by whomever in the D.C. government decided to take off-line the existing payroll system before the new system was ready to handle the job. Top salaries supposedly get us top-quality public employees in other city government posts.