Our readers' opinions: Sept. 20

Opinion

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 will be sporadic.

comments powered by Disqus

September 20, 2012

Our readers' opinions: Sept. 20

Anonymous The Cooperstown Crier Thu Sep 20, 2012, 06:19 PM EDT

-- — Consider impact

of street closing

I was reading the story in the Sept. 6 Cooperstown Crier about the upcoming Celebrate Cooperstown weekend. As a business owner, I like the idea of the weekend and I think it sounds like a great event. The one proposed idea which I strongly disagree with is the closing Main Street for the weekend. The last time Main Street was closed was the Otsego County Tourism’s Car Show last summer. As a result, many businesses lost thousands of dollars in sales for the day. When Main Street is closed, people have a difficult time finding parking and will limit their purchases or the number of visits to town because they have to make a trek back to get their vehicle. Fall is our second-best season of the year for business. I would not want our sales to be obstructed by closing Main Street. It would seem that the event is meant to help and not harm so please consider the potential impact of closing Main Street when making your decision. Thank you.

Adam Yastrzemski

Cooperstown

Contact your rep

Many of us forget that the seniors and other patients of the Manor were once productive citizens of Otsego County and area communities. They paid property and school taxes just like you and I. They supported their communities, their local schools, fire departments, sheriff department and asked for nothing in return. Why? Because it is what we do here in America. In the time of need, we Americans face difficulties head on. Have we here in America become so callus and self-absorbed that we have decided our seniors are expendable? And yes, we can complain about what the employees at the Manor are paid, but many of these employees are unsung heroes. They deserve the same respect, pay and benefits that our school teachers, firefighters and our police departments are paid, Why? Because they’ve earned it. Individuals are placed in the nursing homes because many times the family members cannot care for the individuals themselves. It takes a special kind of person to be an aide and not everyone can do it. Take a look at what is happening in Delaware County at its nursing home. It is foolish for the Otsego County board to sell off our assets. Is it time for the county board to be replaced by a county manager who has the expertise and skills needed to attract new businesses to our area? Start having the tax exempt businesses pay their fair share of the tax base. The board throws around the $5.6 million figure to scare the taxpayers in order to gain their support in the sale of the Manor. If we have 62,000 residents in Otsego County, do the math. Show your support by contacting your county board rep. This is your choice. Not theirs.

James Spence

Maryland