19 minute read
►A FEW THOUGHTS ON IMPORTANT THINGS: Our columnists this week unsubscribe from Spotify, think the D.A. has it right, consider COVID in Otsego County, cherish a good saun- ter through the desert southwest, examine childcare challenges, and think about CBD for dogs. Pages
PerspectivesA-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022
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District Attorney has the right idea
Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl is in a dangerous spot when it comes to what we understand his position to be on the third-rail issues of bail and discovery reform.
He can see both sides.
That’s poison these days — acknowledging, in this case, that those calling for reform to the criminal justice system had reason to do so but that those saying it went too far are equally justified.
“Form over function,” he called it, and The Freeman’s Journal/Hometown Oneonta agrees. We support the District Attorney’s thoughtful approach.
While the most ardent backers of criminal justice reform in Albany point to favorable violent recidivism statistics and declare the issue all but closed, Mr. Muehl has his own, more localized and immediate realities: a plunge in the number of drug prosecutions. He’s also watched his successful drug court drop from 50 participants to just three — those choosing drug court in the past, he said, would be in jail “on a fair amount of bail” to give them time to think about their options and choose to sober up rather than going back out onto the streets.
Then there are the retailers in the County facing their own recidivism issues; because shoplifting, organized or otherwise, tends to fall outside the classic definition of “violent crime,” few thieves remain behind bars and are back stealing from the same store(s) they hit only hours before. It is a problem.
But in the words of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, “You know, an incident happens and it’s just jail jail jail.” His Senate counterpart, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, points out a past that reform came from “a disparate impact negatively specifically on Black and Brown communities. If you had money you could get out, if you didn’t, you stayed in.” She noted specifically the case of Kalief Browder, a Bronx resident held on Riker’s Island for three years because he couldn’t make bail for allegedly stealing a backpack containing valuables. Two years after his release, he hanged himself.
February being Black History Month, it’s an ideal time to consider these important points of view — the how, when, and where of bail and the impact it can have. The history of bail as little more than a tool to keep minority populations locked up. It is a problem.
The loudest voices right now belong to the reform advocates who refuse to consider change to the new laws on one side and, on the other, those who demand a complete roll-back of the 2019 and 2020 statutes. This is not an all-or-nothing situation, yet sadly, our polarized culture demands that kind of sloganeering but might be better served by looking down the middle of the road.
The District Attorney says he has no philosophical opposition to the concept of the reforms but that, in reality, “they went way too far.” The form-over-function anchor that weighs down reform prevents prosecutors from doing their work in favor of filling out reports that, in turn, bog down the desks of defense attorneys who now get more useless information than they need.
We agree with Mr. Muehl’s fundamental premise and hope in the coming months our lawmakers in Albany will similarly agree that no law is perfect right out of the box. There’s room to keep important new criminal justice protections in place and return function to the process without tilting the scales too far in favor of one side or the other.
letters to tHe editor poliCY
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•FO C O OPER UNDEDIN 1 8 0 8 Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper WILL AM I E BYJUDG founded in 1808 Tara Barnwell Publisher Ted Potrikus Editor
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Editorial Board Elinor Vincent, Michael Moffat, Tara Barnwell, Ted Potrikus OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR Otsego County • Village of Cooperstown • Village of Milford Cooperstown Central School District MEMBER: National Newspaper Association, NY Press Association Subscription Rates: Otsego County, $69 a year. All other areas, $89 a year. First Class Subscription, $155 a year. Published Thursdays by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: 607-547-6103. Fax: 607-547-6080. Email: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com Contents © Iron String Press, Inc.
ted potrikus
Rust never sleeps: Corrosive instant experts
My patient and considerate son-inlaw, Alex, had had just about enough of helping me carry seemingly countless and too-heavy crates of records from the U-Haul into the long-term storage facility, their home for the next 10 months or so.
“Have you not heard of Spotify?” he half-joked as he lugged another crate.
Sure I’ve heard of Spotify. I even signed up for a subscription so I could trade playlists with our daughter, who lives out in Tucson. It was a technological leap for me – I’ve listened to my music primarily on vinyl since the days of buying 44-cent albums at Newberry’s on Main Street. I still don’t quite grasp the concept of just picking songs out of some infinite digital library and, for lack of a better word, borrowing them out of thin air. And the thought of some algorithm creating a playlist FOR me is just bonkers.
We’ve all heard of Spotify by now, though, after professional curmudgeon Neil Young delivered his “either he goes or I go” ultimatum over their popular podcaster Joe Rogan and his tendencies to amplify the voices of those who aren’t necessarily following the science when it comes to all things COVID. A few other topname musicians followed suit, and so did I. We curmudgeons have to stick together.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve been a fan of his for 50 years now, but I believe Neil when he says he’s not trying to censor Spotify, Joe Rogan, or anyone else. He had some power in the marketplace and he chose to use it to make his voice heard. I chose to vote with my wallet and will find another way to share music with my daughter in Tucson.
It sounds to me like Spotify shrugged at first and said, “Well, Neil, we hate to see you go, but we paid this Rogan guy $100 million so, see ya bye. This is a business.” Within a week’s time, though, Spotify faced some big-time backlash which grew exponentially when recordings surfaced of Rogan using racist epithets and the business scoured its Rogan library of some 100 old episodes. Then they promised to match the $100 million they spent on him to “underheard voices” or some such corporate gobbledygook that they think will get them out of this mess.
To those bemoaning Spotify’s focus on podcasts and “content” rather than music, they’re following the revenue trail the same way the music business has always followed the revenue trail. That’s nothing new. Rarely in hisotry has there been artistic merit underpinning the music industry and if podcasts bring in the bucks, then they’re going to drive the bus.
One could argue that Neil Young’s influence has long expired and that it’s guys like Joe Rogan who have the proverbial floor these days. What was the idiotic derisive phrase that was popular for a couple of months a few
years ago? “OK, Boomer?” So there’s that. On the other hand, though, an old guy played the cards he has in his hand and put the spotlight on something that was important to him in a fully matter-of-fact way. It wasn’t grandstanding, it was just, well, business. We’ve turned it into grandstanding, though – Neil’s fans on one side, Joe’s on the other. As a society, we pretty much do that with everything these days. If you’re not 100 percent on my side, then I don’t want to hear a word you say. That sort of thing.
It’s a big chunk of the populace suffering from Instant Expert Syndrome – because we read it once, we’re experts and by golly you’re wrong and stupid if you don’t agree with everything I just spewed back from what I read. Of course, if that same site where I read the first thing comes out later and publishes something that’s contrary or updated, then that site that we trusted two weeks ago now is full of baloney and not to be trusted.
That’s the level of discourse we get these days. Lots of shouty people hiding behind the anonymity of comment pages where they are the expert because they have a keyboard and they’re going to use it.
It’s corrosive. And as Neil Young so famously said, “rust never sleeps.”
riCHard sternberg, M.d.
Otsego’s COVID numbers improving
We’ve been hearing reports that the spike in cases and deaths from the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has peaked and is decreasing. This is certainly true in metropolitan New York. Epidemiologists have estimated that greater than 40 percent of the City’s population has been infected with Omicron even though the confirmed case rate is much lower. Most people infected there probably experienced mild or no symptoms and didn’t even bother to get tested.
In my experience among my friends, many have told me they or a member of their family had mild or moderate symptoms of a flu-like illness and those who bothered to be tested almost all came back as COVID-positive. When their asymptomatic family members were also tested at about the same time, they too were positive.
In my mind, COVID variant Omicron BA.1 probably has reached a herd immunity level in NYC. This would explain the decreasing case curve.
I looked at our numbers in Otsego County. The most recent report that I have comes from February 3, 2022. You might want to go online and look at the Otsego County Department of Health COVID-19 Information Center while you read through this. The easiest way to get there is to Google Otsego County Department of Health and follow the links.
You might notice two graphs near the midportion of the page. The first shows the cases reported per month, and you will see a giant spike for January 2022 — much higher than any other point in the pandemic. Below this there is cases reported per day and, while there is a larger daily variation due to when reports are registered, there is definitely a downward trend to the curve.
Things are getting better, but if you look more closely you will see that is only relative to recent numbers.
Compared to our numbers earlier in the pandemic, they are still high.
The number of cases of COVID19 in the county year-to-date through February 3 is 3182 and the number of deaths is 10. In all of 2021, the number of cases was 6,032 and deaths was 21. These represent a rate of both cases and deaths about five times that of last year. So, while things are getting better, and I expect until we get the next breakout strain they will continue to do so, the actual numbers are not as great when compared to earlier in the pandemic.
It’s not yet time to throw caution to the wind.
According to a February 3 report from Dr. Rochelle Wallensky, Director of the Center for Disease Control, studies show you are 97 times less likely to die of COVID-19 if you have received a booster shot than those who have not been vaccinated. If you received your booster more than five months ago it is time for another. Additionally, according to another CDC report published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (subscription online is free if you want to sign up) studies prove masks lower risk. They found properly worn masks decreased risk of catching the disease by 56 percent for cloth, 66 percent for surgical, and 83 percent for N95/KN95 masks.
Truly we are doing well, but by no means have yet won the war. These numbers do suggest, however, that those of us properly protected are probably taking reasonable risks in going about most — if not all — of our pre-COVID activities. If only we could convince (I’m not holding my breath that we will) the remaining holdouts that if they were vaccinated and wore masks we would have this beaten down as much as possible and they and their families would not be at risk.
The rest of us who have been compliant are pretty much doing well.
Dr. Richard Sternberg, retired Bassett Hospital orthopedic surgeon, is providing his professional perspective during the COVID-19 threat. Also a village trustee, he lives in Cooperstown.
Compiled by Tom HeiTz/SHARoN STUART with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art museum Research Library
185 YEARS AGO
If a man by digging a well obtains good water, the product may be of immense value to him, and yet, this water which is the product of the labor of digging the well, is of little or no exchangeable value. That is, he cannot exchange it for any other product. The products of statesmen and professional men have improperly, it is believed, been called immaterial products. The labor of these classes is, or ought to be, directly subsidiary, or assistant to, the labor of the other classes. A people that are well-governed and live under good laws, will certainly have, with equal industry, a larger aggregate of products, than a people living under bad laws, and that are ill-governed. The labors of statesmen then, have a direct tendency to increase production. February 13, 1837
160 YEARS AGO
Good Investments – The man who owes money can make no better investment than to take up his notes or mortgage, and thus close his interest account. Farmers out of debt, with increasing means, can make capital investments in improving their lands and buildings. That is better, in most cases, than to invest in buying more land. Don’t be afraid of the expense incurred in ditching, tilling, enriching your soil, building permanent stone or other fences, good dwellings and outbuildings, setting out orchards, &c., if you are out of debt and have the cash to invest in that way. It all pays. It does you good to look upon such improvements – you enjoy them while you live – they attach your children to the old homestead when you pass away.
February 7, 1862
135 YEARS AGO
The Concert given at the close of the Musical Convention on Friday evening last, was attended by a large audience. Prof. Cobb managed his well-drilled chorus most admirably. Miss Swayne is not only a very sweet singer, with a voice of rare purity and cultivation, but is personally a young lady of charming manners. Her rendering of the difficult Swiss echo song, was almost beyond criticism, and each piece called out hearty encores, to which she kindly responded with more simple ballads. February 12, 1887
110 YEARS AGO
February 8, 1812
85 YEARS AGO
Members of the Cooperstown Rotary Club attending the regular weekly luncheon at the Village Club on Tuesday doffed their neckties and turned them over to Alfred J. Peevers who sold them back to the donors at auction. The proceeds, including $1.40 paid for the remaining cigars in a box circulated by the proud father in celebration of the arrival of a new son in the Peevers family, amounted to over twenty dollars which was devoted to the fund for the assistance of physically handicapped children. A good time was had by all.
February 10, 1937
Solution: ‘‘If I Wrote the Dictionary” (Feb. 3) NEWS FROM THE NOTEWORTHY DaN MaSkiN / OppORTuNiTiES FOR OTSEgO
The childcare dilemma
I recently listened to an interview with journalist Claire Suddath about childcare. She was speaking about her November 2021 article in Bloomberg Business Week titled “How childcare became the most broken business in America: Biden has a plan to make day care more affordable for parents — if the providers don’t go out of business first.”
The high cost of childcare is mainly due to it being a private market that is heavily regulated (as it should be). A childcare provider must have one caregiver per three to four infants; for older children it’s seven to eight per caregiver. Caregivers’ salaries are generally around $15 per hour, or $31,200 per year. Most day cares are small businesses, and the United States Treasury reports a 1-percent profit margin for day care services.
Cheaper childcare usually means providers are unlicensed, which can potentially pose a safety risk.
Most day care workers have some form of higher education and a strong commitment to the early childhood development profession. But with salaries so low, it’s no wonder that according to Suddath, 25 percent of childcare workers leave the profession each year.
We shouldn’t blame the providers, either. As Ms. Suddath pointed out, a 1-percent profit margin does not give providers a lot of wiggle room. Economists refer to the childcare business as a classic market failure. That’s when the price point of goods or services is too expensive for consumers and too expensive for providers, with no way to fix it in a private market setting.
At Opportunities for Otsego, we used to provide what’s called a wrap-around day care program. Since Head Start is only four hours a day, we began providing general day care for the rest of the day. It met the demand very well, but OFO lost tens of thousands of dollars for each year we provided the service. When the sequester was implemented, we had to choose to either shut down a Head Start classroom or close the day care service. We made the difficult decision to close the day care service because of the significant financial losses it incurred.
I mention this as an example of not only the unaffordability of providing childcare, but the difficulties childcare providers face when the cost of running an operation exceeds the revenues that are required to provide the service.
Many other governments in industrialized countries heavily subsidize childcare. But the US Congress hasn’t dealt with it since World War II. President Biden’s Build Back Better bill addresses childcare but leaves it optional for states, with no federal oversight.
I get asked from time to time why our community can’t solve the day care problem. The answer is that it can’t just be solved locally. Until there is a strong national policy, the hopes of providing quality affordable day care will continue to be the elusive goal that communities have been struggling with for years and years. Dan Maskin is Chief
Executive Officer of Opportunities for Otsego, Inc. Learn more about the organization at ofoinc.org.
BY MERl REaglE
Double Double Meanings…Please redefine your terms
ACROSS
1 A Turner channel, briefly 4 All-white-keys chord: abbr. 8 Barely lit 11 Osmond country 15 Enjoy Osmond country 18 Ranch assent 19 Popular sauce 20 “Meet me ___ the first cock crow” (Shak.) 21 Saint of oratorio fame 22 Network that debuted in ’82 23 Tests on GIs 27 Genesis bone 28 “To ___ human” 29 Certain magazine workers 31 Make certain reservations 34 Sulzberger paper: abbr. 35 Directed 36 “... could ___ fat ...” 37 Goalie’s place 39 It shows you the money 40 Board member 43 Cop’s concern 50 “Washboard” anatomy 51 “___ you loud and clear” 53 On the beach 54 Angel or Carol ending 55 Baseball practice 59 Lab medium, originally 61 “___ as it goes ...” 62 Bird or hand soap 63 Span’s partner 64 Part of the yard 65 ___ and ahs 68 Writer Zora ___ Hurston 70 Maker of the first portable electric saw 72 ___ of attrition 75 Cop alerts 77 I came 79 Kin of “me too” 83 Disparage 85 Money for pay toilets 88 Bk. store section 89 Attention-getting words, once 91 Has a harsh sound 92 Univ. 93 Riverside exercise 96 Otalgia 99 Revelation reaction 100 A Tex. city, to
Southwest Airlines 101 ___ water (up the creek) 102 Violin maker 105 A Christmas Carol word 107 Stuntman’s words 113 Congressional mail 116 Called 117 Guy at first 118 Special edition of
Animation Monthly? 121 ___ Aviv 122 Exxon, before 123 Border line? 124 Olympic weapon 125 Palmer, for short 126 One of the four saisons 127 Parks on the bus 128 Ballet step 129 Word with shoulder or soap 130 Double numero
DOWN
1 Flu virus variety 2 Pack animal 3 A VP’s first name 4 ___ straws 5 Rug on the stoop 6 The time of your life? 7 Kipling’s ___ Stories 8 Removal of restrictions: abbr. 9 “___ that remark!” 10 Encounter 11 Make whole 12 Pole length: abbr. 13 Jason’s ship 14 “He’s just like ___” 15 Semitransparent curtain 16 Game of Clue piece 17 Sacked out 24 Minn. maulers 25 Part of a Cugat dance 26 French edict city 30 Site of the Tupac Amaru siege 32 Enjoyed home cooking 33 Bergen boob 38 Latin abbr. 39 “Let me take ___ at it” 40 Spoken fanfare 41 Hitting stat 42 Letters on fighters 43 Tycoons 44 Take ___ (drop sharply) 45 One-movement musical wk. 46 Spiritual leaders 47 Latvia’s capital 48 Eat like a rat 49 Make, as a profit 52 “Kookie” Byrnes 56 Native New Zealander 57 X ___ (tic-tac-toe choice) 58 Hit the road 60 Assign as one’s share 63 Author Maurice 66 “Hell ___ fury ...” 67 Messy impact sound 69 Absorb data 71 Egy. neighbor 72 Pop group or rhyme scheme 73 The Grateful Dead’s Bob 74 Moises of baseball 76 Actress Mary ___ Hurt 78 Brain gauges 80 Ancestor’s opposite: abbr. 81 Musicians in a pit: abbr. 82 “How ___, doc?” 84 Well-pitched game 85 Train hopper 86 Overturn 87 City 60 km E of Tokyo 90 Snide laugh 94 Samuel Beckett play 95 Alps country 97 Lott and Milsap 98 McNally opus 101 Part of the foot 102 Severe and sharp 103 Glengarry Glen Ross penner 104 Poisonous gift for Snow White 105 “___ This House” 106 Foil introducer, 1910 108 Partners, trios, etc. 109 Circle segment 110 Yardbirds hit, “Still ___” 111 Spitting cobra’s toxin type 112 Perfect places 114 “I see,” to Chan 115 Waterproof cover 119 Lead paint watchdog: abbr. 120 Flooder of Grand Forks, N.D., in 1997, the ___ River
