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Cheers & Jeers

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January 3, 2011

Cheers and Jeers: Jan. 3, 2011

Press-Republican

CHEERS to all of the public servants who have had to endure frigid and blustery conditions while working outside this past week or so to take care of their responsibilities to residents. We're particularly moved, during these weather situations, by the lot of the City of Plattsburgh Public Works Department. Consider what these people have to put up with while they pick up trash throughout their jurisdiction. All trash collectors have to work in bad weather. It's just that most collectors — particularly in private companies — are inside their trucks between pickups. In the city, the collectors are walking behind or alongside the trucks because the customers are so densely situated. Maybe the workers arrange to take turns spending some time inside the cab during the worst of days. Even if they do, though, they are all spending a lot of time in unpleasant conditions. Give them credit for performing a job you wouldn't want to do — and especially on days you couldn't stand to be outside doing it.

JEERS to landlords who don't keep their sidewalks and driveways shoveled. We don't know that this is a widespread problem, but one person who gets around in a wheelchair indicated it is for a few, anyway. City law says property owners must clear sidewalks after snow has fallen. More importantly, so does common courtesy.

CHEERS to Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and other assistance programs, which are a benefit to those truly in need;, but JEERS to some of the stringent guidelines that are less than prudent in some situations. Recently, a young mother presented her voucher with her grocery selections in a local supermarket. The cashier, wishing to follow the mandates in effect, had to make at least five excursions through the store to find compliant items. For example, the customer had 15.5-ounce cans of beans when the regulations stated 16oz. The 16-ounce tortilla wraps that were supposed to come in one package (which could not be found by the mother) were substituted by two smaller packages of approximate weight. While the bread was of a healthy variety, it too deviated from the specifications. The patron submitted another assistance voucher, and ,when told her perspective lettuce purchase was out of compliance, she took one look at the gathering line and decided she would have to return another time. This remediation process to find the officially sanctioned items tied up one of the two open lines at the market for about 15 minutes. On the other side of the spectrum, the frosted (with sugar) flakes easily qualified ,as they contained the right amounts of vitamins and minerals (which for the most part had been artificially infused into the cereal).

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Cheers & Jeers