Progress for Plattsburgh Blog - Mike Kelly

The headline in the Plattsburgh Press Republican this morning:

Report: Black Friday store spending edges up

This news is a relief to some, but it dismays others. The great American economic engine, fueled by the almighty consumer, seems to be awakening from its long slumber. One can almost hear the ships from China unloading, the box manufacturers gearing up and the trucks starting to roll. Therein lies the dilemma: why must economic success equate with the making and consumption of things? If most of us look around our homes, we have everything we need. Our cellars and attics are crammed with things we just had to have in days past. Pots, pans, small appliances, clothes, electronics. How much of this stuff do we really need? Can we learn to give one another gifts that aren't things? How about a nice jar of homemade jelly? How about a gift certificate to a local restaurant? How about a piece of local artwork? How about an article of gently used clothing from a local consignment shop? If you're detecting a theme of "Buy Local" here, you're absolutely onto something. We have many, many local producers and merchants who don't buy in to the whole import, ship and throw-away culture that characterizes our economy. They make things at home or in small shops, ship them locally and make treasures that last. Sure, a locally-made piece of art or a serving dish made locally may cost more, but it will come with a huge amount of character and a story of its own. In other words, it will last, and the consumer will not have the impulse to replace it with another next year. That pretty much sums up a sustainable holiday season. Buy things that last, or buy consumables like local foods and restaurant gift certificates. These things don't pollute the planet to get to your front door, and they will be remembered long after the holiday season ends. If you decorate your house, use items that can be reused, and use natural items that can be recycled or composted. Enjoy the holidays, and Buy Local! Keep Plattsburgh green!

Posted by wm1chaelkelly at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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Ward 2 in the City of Plattsburgh is one of the friendliest neighborhoods in the North Country. You can walk down any street in the ward and get a friendly hello from a neighbor. Happy Thanksgiving to the Flats, South Catherine Street, the Old Base, Fox Hill and to our SUNY student friends along Broad Street. This Thanksgiving, be grateful for your neighbors, our beautiful city and our beautiful surroundings. We are truly blessed. There is one issue to worry about - litter. It seems that many people who pass through our streets think it is okay to dump trash. Please help those people who are litter-ignorant by picking up trash in your surroundings. When our streets are clean, it's uplifting. When they're filthy, it's depressing. Enjoy your Turkey Day.

Posted by wm1chaelkelly at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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This morning, I cleaned out my music and video collection. I'm referring to the discs, not the files on the computer. I even found some old cassette tapes. (Young folks: you may have to Google cassette tapes). I'm listening to one right now. It's by a fellow named Billy Bragg from the UK, and its title is Back to Basics. Now I don't think Billy was ever on the top 40, but I did enjoy his music - rhythm and lyrics. I just heard a song called Between the Wars. Here are a few lyrics:

I kept the faith and I kept voting
Not for the iron fist but for the helping hand
For theirs is a land with a wall around it
And mine is a faith in my fellow man
Theirs is a land of hope and glory
Mine is the green field and the factory floor
Theirs are the skies dark with bombers
And mine is the peace we knew between the wars.

You can read all the lyrics here.

You can watch Billy sing this song at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjUA3RU4B8E&feature=related 

I love the Internet. Which side are you on, boys, which side are you on?

Posted by wm1chaelkelly at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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The City Council held its long-anticipated vote on the fluoridation issue on November 19th. Today, we remain a fluoridated community. Is the battle over? Yes, but not the war on fluoride. Councilor Jim Calnon, by his comments Thursday night, indicated that he believes that there is something to the fluoride opponents' arguments. He may be swayed by further evidence from the fluoride opposition. He argues that this fight should be taking place on the national stage, rather than on the local stage. I say, why can't we do both? Hundreds of U. S. cities and towns have rejected fluoridation. Why not Plattsburgh?

Councilor Tim Carpenter has stated that in his heart he knows that fluoride should be removed from the water. However, he says that he will defer to the Clinton County Board of Health. Maybe the Clinton County Board of Health can be swayed, but it will be hard for them. Many of its members have not read a research article on fluoride for decades - a fact they freely admitted in a public session. Sad really, when you think that these people are supposed to represent the health of all citizens. Too bad they're not a little more open to public comment. A Board of Health meeting is a highly controlled affair.

Many, many thanks go to Councilor Amy Valentine for introducing the resolution. Click here to view the original resolution. It was thoughtful and complete.

A great ally in this fight has been the Plattsburgh Press Republican. I would like to thank Joe LoTemplio for his excellent coverage throughout the months and months of debate. Read Joe's latest article here. Also, Pat Bradley at WAMC did a great radio piece on the debate in Plattsburgh.

Posted by wm1chaelkelly at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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In my last blog entry, I reported that the American Dental Association alerted its members in 2006 that infants between 0-6 months of age should not drink fluoridated water. Since then, I have discovered that many other people should not drink fluoridated water. These include:

• the elderly (17% of population or about 3400 Plattsburgh citizens)
• people with cardiovascular disease (7% of population or 1400 Plattsburgh citizens)
• people with kidney disease (0.6% of population or 120 Plattsburgh citizens)
• people with Vitamin C deficiency (27% of population or 5400 Plattsburgh citizens)
• people with magnesium deficiency (37% of population or 7400 Plattsburgh citizens)

• people with calcium deficiency (44% of population or 8800 Plattsburgh citizens)

If you would like to read more about this, please click here.

It would be erroneous to add the numbers above and conclude that 26,520 citizens shouldn't have fluoride. That's more people than there are in the City of Plattsburgh! There is a great deal of overlap between these groups. For example, many cardiovascular patients are elderly people. Let's assume for the sake of argument that 80% of the people in the above groups overlap in more than one category. That still leaves over 5000 people in our city who should not drink fluoridated water! Here's another interesting fact: about 19% of Americans are of the age when teeth are forming. In terms of Plattsburgh, that's about 3800 citizens - lower than the number of citizens who shouldn't drink fluoridated water! This strengthens the argument that we should not be mass-medicating everyone by fluoridating drinking water. If you want fluoride, it's easy and cheap to get it. If you don't want fluoride in your drinking water, it's really hard and expensive to get it out. It's time to stop this outdated and unsafe practice.

Posted by wm1chaelkelly at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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