I like to look on the bright side of life. People aren't drop-dead ignorant, they're hungry for knowledge. This Y2K thing, it's not a problem, it's an opportunity. And politicians aren't self-absorbed elitist scum, they're just public service pilgrims looking for direction from the public they love. OK, that last one went too far.
Politicians are scum.
Even the drop-dead hungry folks know it. Most folks are wage slaves, buried in mortgages and other debt, working for one company and paying others. But there's an upside to this Y2K thing. You see, we're an old culture. Since the dawn of the first east coast colonies, and certainly since the western frontier went tame, as a people and as a polity we've gone stale.