The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY - otsego county news, delaware county news, oneonta news, oneonta sports

Columns

Related Photos

Discussion

COMMENTING ON STORIES:

Welcome to our story comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including the unpopular ones. We only ask that you keep your conversations clean, civil and on the topic of the story you are commenting on.

Coinciding with our websites redesign, we launched our new story comments feature through Disqus.

Disqus gives users the ability to log into our story comments feature so that they may be able to track their conversations, receive emails when their comments get a reply or to even have your comments update onto your Facebook or Twitter accounts.

For the time being, our story comments feature will continue to have the ability to post comments anonymously. We reserve the right to require registration in the future using your name and verified email address.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified at the newspaper’s discretion for a number of different reasons. Please follow our Online Rules of Conduct at all times.

RULES OF CONDUCT:

We reserve the right to remove comments that are unacceptable, to wit:

1. False and inacurate statements.
2. Personal attacks. Explicit name-calling.
3. Harassing, harmful, vulgar, obscene and defamatory language.
4. Threatening statements or statements that suggest violence.
5. Hate speech of any kind.
6. Intolerant comments on religion, race, age, gender, sexual preference or disabilities.
7. Accusations of criminal activity.
8. Content that is harmful to children and minors in any way.
9. References to any type of sexual activity and other private matters.
10. Random and inflammatory statements that are off topic.
11. Advertising of any kind.
12. Typing in all caps.

WE ENCOURAGE REASONABLE AND COURTEOUS COMMENTS THAT:

1. Create conversation on issues of interest and concern to fellow readers and local community members.
2. Express opinions and contrarian views.
3. Stimulate debate with respectful language.
4. Stay within the boundaries of these rules.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SUSPEND OR TERMINATE ACCESS FOR:

1. Violating any of these Online Rules of Conduct.
2. Deliberately disrupting discussions with repetitive messages, meaningless messages or spam.
3. Misrepresentation of identity or impersonating another user.

WE WELCOME:

1. Flagging violations of these rules that you observe to our attention.

MONITORING:

We monitor comments regularly Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Approval of comments outside of this time (including weekends) will be sporadic.
comments powered by Disqus
June 16, 2009

Travels with Uncle Chet: Obama’s cause is health reform

COLUMBUS _ It was a sunny day, a week before the start of summer and we were cleaning up, inside and out. Hon and the kids were going through closets, getting out shorts and building a large pile of outgrown clothes, soon to be oil rags.

Uncle Chet and I were poking through the woodpile, culling punky logs.

``You’ve got brown ants AND black ants in here.’’ He quickly dropped a cherry log into the cart, brushed off his hands.

``We had black ones inside this spring,’’ I said. ``I think they came in on this stuff.’’

``Hate those things.’’

``It took awhile to get rid of them,’’ I said.

``You have to find out where they’re coming in,’’ he said. ``They always go to the ground.’’

``I found them,’’ I said.

``You can hold onto wood too long,’’ he observed. ``Half of this stack is no better than Dick Cheney.’’

``Now that is low,’’ I said, and the light metal cart behind the four-wheeler was nearly full as I dropped in some rotten beech. ``You drive; I’ll walk this load,’’ he said and I fired up Old Reliable, slowly circled behind the barn.

Uncle Chet and Daisy, our Springer Spaniel, took the shortcut across the driveway and met me on the other side, heading down to the brush pile.

``You’ve got enough biofuel there to run the Chrysler Building,’’ he said.

``It’s a big pile,’’ I said.

``Too bad you can’t burn it.’’

``I can, when there’s snow on the ground,’’ I said as the trailer clanked over a rut and came close to tipping over.

``You ought to roll this field.’’ He shook his head, straw hat swaying in the sun. ``Wouldn’t take more than an afternoon with your tractor.’’

``I’ve thought of it, but it’s never risen to the top of the list.’’

``Now that you’re 60, you’ve got to rearrange that list,’’ he said ``You’re on the far side, sonny, and it’s a quick bump down. Take it from me.’’

``I’m not 60 yet,’’ I said.

``You’re quibbling about days,’’ his sunglasses peered out from under the wide brim, ``and I’m offering wisdom from the ages.’’

``You are?’’

``Sure. For you, just three words.’’

``What?’’

``Get something done.’’

``Get something done?’’ I said. ``Right now, I’m getting something done. I’m getting rid of the rotten wood.’’

``Is that what you wanted to do with your life, when you hit 21?’’ He asked on this summer afternoon with a light breeze, a smell of mint, the engine idling and the old dog panting but determined to keep up.

``Now I get you,’’ I sighed.

``You have to focus, just as Obama has to focus,’’ he said. ``Ask yourself what’s crucial. What would you do if you could do only one thing? For Obama, it’s reforming health care, isn’t it? He’s said it’s an American right, so why isn’t it underwritten by the government?’’

``The public option?’’ I said.

``Public option, single-payer, something subject to voters’ control,’’ said Uncle Chet. ``All you have to do is look around the world at how others pay for health care. Face in any direction and you’re looking at a country with less-expensive health care.’’

``And lower wages,’’ I said.

``Don’t kid yourself,’’ he said.

``But they have higher taxes to pay for that health care.’’

``That’s not true when you look at the whole package,’’ he said. ``Look at the taxes and fees you pay now and what you get for them. Taxes on your land, your house, your car, your ATV, taxes on everything from baby clothes to old folk’s diapers. Taxes on gas, electricity and telephone, even on beer and wine when you want to tie one on and forget about taxes." ``Must come to plenty,’’ I said and curved around at the brush pile.

``More than enough,’’ he said. ``Fact is we’re already paying for the public option; we’re just not getting it.’’

___

Cooperstown News Bureau Reporter Tom Grace is traveling with his Uncle Chet, who he says is imaginary. Grace’s column appears every other week.

Text Only
Big Chuck D'Imperio

Cary Brunswick

Chuck Pinkey

Guest Column

Lisa Miller

Mark Simonson

Rick Brockway

Sam Pollak

William Masters
  • Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues

    As the time to vote draws near, we need to remember how money can run politics more than we can. Raising funds is a prominent (if not the dominant) task of getting elected. Raising issues is also crucial, but those efforts are subject to distortion and fear-mongering.

    September 18, 2012

  • Republicans feelentitled to allthey can garner An entitlement is a legal benefit available from the government to individuals who are within a defined category of recipients, such as needing insurance for unemployment or health services.

    September 4, 2012

  • Romney focuses on self; Obama emphasizes unity

    Mitt Romney criticizes President Obama for saying a person's success is rooted in his community, and is not all his alone. Romney belittles this with his belief in individual initiative. He is better at the put-down than the push-up.

    August 21, 2012

  • Romney shows little regard for common man

    The Republicans in Congress have voted over and over, 33 times, redundantly and uselessly, to rescind what they call Obamacare.

    August 7, 2012

  • Scouts' gay ban creates problem where none exists

    The Boy Scouts of America's "emphatic reaffirmation" of its vow to exclude any and all homosexuals from its hallowed ranks is ill-considered and pathetic, especially in view of its having reviewed the matter for two years.

    July 24, 2012

Additional Content
Join the Debate
Helium
Additional Resources
CNHI News Service

Poll

Do you think it will be a hot summer?

Yes
No
There's no way to tell
     View Results