Christy Mihos: Tilting At Windmills? Or NIMBY?

cct offered --


Mihos needs to cut ties with anti-wind farm bloc
Christy is still tilting at the windmill
By Ron LaBonte.

Massachusetts could use a man like Christy Mihos who, if elected governor, would shake up the status quo on Beacon Hill and likely lower taxes.

However, in my opinion, he’ll never make governor if he continues to align himself with William Koch, Glen Wattley and the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. I wonder if Mr. Mihos has read Dennis Duffy’s Sept. 21 “My View” in the Cape Cod Times. Many thinking people have read it.

Why kill your chances of being governor for the sake of not having to look at the tops of wind turbines 6 miles away?

Ron LaBonte, Chatham
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Christy Mihos had cute ads for his last run, but that's as far as his substance went.

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He has stood with the wealthy NIMBYs to oppose a wind project that simply makes sense, against overwhelming public support because his ocean view would be spoiled.

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Shake up the status quo on Beacon Hill ?

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He'd likely add his own moneyed brand of "status quo."

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After standing with his wealthy buddy Koch, defending Mountaintop Removal, ignoring the threat of Coal Ash, the Commonwealth surely needs another wealthy, tone deaf Governor to protect his own interests, environment be damned!

"Promoting Environmentally Sound Technologies"

Check it out --

Cape & Islands Self Reliance is offering tours --

PUBLIC INVITED TO VISIT GREEN BUILDINGS ACROSS CAPE COD ON OCTOBER 3

The Updated Bottle Bill

MASSPIRG offers the following --

I'd like you to mark a date on your calendar right now.

On Wednesday October 7, the Updated Bottle Bill gets its first hearing this legislative session. This is a very important event, as the first hearing a bill gets really sets the tone: is it a bill people care about? Is the hearing room crowded? Are citizens contacting their legislator about the issue? A "yes" to those questions gives your bill a better shot.

The bottle bill is still the most successful recycling program in the state, with close to 70% of containers redeemed for recycling. But it's now 25 years old, and we need an updated program that reflects our current needs. When the Bottle Bill became law in 1983, most soft drinks on the shelves were some kind of soda -- cola and the like. But many of the soft drinks we now consume -- iced tea, water, and sports drinks -- are not covered by the Bottle Bill's nickel deposit system, and those containers are ending up in the trash. The update to the Bottle Bill currently pending in the Legislature would add all these "new age" drinks to the law.

A hearing on the bill is coming up on October 7. To ask your legislator to support HB3515, the Updated Bottle Bill, click here.

Since 1990, more than 15 billion containers have been redeemed under the Massachusetts bottle bill, contributing to a healthier environment, cleaner and safer communities, and a stronger economy. But as consumers' tastes change, the bottle bill must be updated to keep up with our times.

The Updated Bottle Bill would more than double the recycling rate for non-redeemable containers and would give consumers more of an incentive to recycle those containers.

Rep. Alice Wolf and Sen. Cynthia Creem have filed legislation for the 2009-2010 legislative session to update our current Bottle Bill (HB 3515). This legislation would expand the recycling program to include the following beverages:

- Carbonated and noncarbonated water, including flavored and non-flavored filtered water, mineral water and purified waters;
- Carbonated and noncarbonated fruit juices and drinks;
- Carbonated and noncarbonated vegetable juices and drinks;
- Ready-to-drink coffee and tea beverages;
- Sports drinks

It would also increase the handling fee from 2.25 cents per container to 3 cents, making the system more practical for the redemption centers.

Please send a message to your legislators asking them to support the updated Bottle Bill:

https://www.masspirg.org/action/healthy-communities/email-leg-bottle-bill

Sincerely,

Janet Domenitz
MASSPIRG Executive Director
JanetD@masspirg.org
http://www.masspirg.org

FACT SHEET

Twelve thousand citizens ask DEP Commissioner Burt to Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

Health Care for Dawn?

The inflammatory rhetoric surrounding health care proposals has a human face in each case insurance companies deny.
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All of these stories paint a picture of an insurance company that, as one former CIGNA executive pointed out, has every incentive to deny coverage.

In the case of Nataline Sarkisyan, CIGNA denied a liver transplant—reversing themselves only when public pressure became too intense. Unfortunately, their decision came too late for Nataline, who died.

Christopher Hanna told us the story of his wife's battle—she had to spend "hours every week browbeating [CIGNA] over the phone," fighting to get treated for the ovarian cancer that would eventually take her life.

And of the stories we heard, there were a stunning number where CIGNA authorized a procedure but then came up with an excuse—any excuse at all—to not pay.

It's clear that Dawn's experience with CIGNA isn't unique—in fact, it isn't even out of the ordinary. And even though CIGNA would love for Dawn to just go away, she isn't backing down. She's demanding answers and proof that CIGNA is changing their policies so that their mistreatment of her and their other customers comes to an end.

Tone Deaf Christy

In his announcement as a Republican candidate for Governor, Christy Mihos said -

I am not beholden to anyone or anything except the interests of working people.

Of Christy's fundraiser -- The six-thousand pound elephant in the room

The six-thousand pound elephant in the room was the heavy presence of Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound people. Christy is the anti-wind farm's Vice Chairman, and unless he remembers what opposition to Cape Wind did to Attorney General Reilly's gubernatorial campaign in 2006, he will never get the governor's job even if he does beat off the old guard's efforts to block his party nomination.

AG Reilly's approval early in '06 was over 70%, but after Deval Patrick endorsed Cape Wind, it fell to zip.

And that was when the state's support of Cape Wind was about 50% compared with today's 80% support statewide.

Block Island voters and property owners in a recent survey supported an offshore wind farm 83.9% and 71% respectively.

So, Christy proves himself to be yet another wealthy NIMBY who doesn't want his view spoiled by Cape Wind, but recently removed his name from the Stakeholders' list.

But then he outdoes himself and declares --

Is this governor so completely tone deaf that he believes voters support the tactics he's used these past few days to change the law regarding the appointment of a new, U.S. senator?"

Sorry, Christy! But this was democracy at work. A recent visit to legislative offices provided many comments about the flood of phone calls supporting this appointment. It isn't the Governor who is tone deaf. It's you!

Plastic Grocery Bags

Americans use 84 billion plastic bags annually and efforts to reduce consumption and trash have been underway with varying degrees of success.

This is some of what has been posted on this site in the past --



Beacon Hill & Plastic Grocery Bags: About Time! #2
Beacon Hill & Plastic Grocery Bags: About Time!
California considers ban on plastic bags.....
China Watch: Plastic Bag Ban Trumps Market and Consumer Efforts

'Save the Bay' unveils annual list of most-polluted local waterways
included a staggering inventory of plastic bags and trash retrieved during the cleanup from 2008 --

All told, 184 tons of waste were collected from the bay, including more than 26,000 plastic bags. About 1,100 bags were collected from Coyote Creek alone.

... Lewis of Save The Bay said recycling plastic bags doesn't work. He points to a California Integrated Waste Management Board estimate that less than 5 percent of all single-use plastic bags in the state are recycled "A lot of it ends up in landfills," he said.

Albany-Berkeley-Emeryville shoreline (Alameda County). Bags removed: 7,497

Antioch Shoreline (Contra Costa County). Bags removed: 478

Belden"s Landing (Solano County). Bags removed: 591

Burlingame Bayfront to Mills Creek, Millbrae (San Mateo County). Bags removed: 784 Candlestick Park (San Francisco). Bags removed: 750

Coyote Creek (Santa Clara County). Bags removed: 1,100

Mare Island Straight (Solano County). Bags removed: 400

Richmond shoreline from Shimada Friendship Park to Point Isabel (Contra Costa County). Bags removed: 2,252

Ryder Park (San Mateo County). Bags removed: 384

Warm Water Cove (San Francisco). Bags removed: 542


(Note: Not every section of the Bay watershed held Coastal Cleanup Day events in 2008, and some sites did not report trash data.)
Source: Save The Bay

Shopping around the Middleboro area, reminders are everywhere -- Hannaford's posted a reminder at the entrance. How many times do you just forget to bring the reusable bags in with you?

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What once caused rolled eyes is becoming the norm with little effort and has the added benefit of reducing curbside trash destined to SEMASS.

The Film: Now U Know

Now U Know

Southbridge: Now You Know

Southbridge Dump

$210,000? Nothing to Sneeze At!

Although Middleboro Selectmen have convinced themselves that all budgets are "bare bones" and we wouldn't expect them to look any further unless the Town Manager told them to, the little town of Provincetown is taking cost cutting measures --

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Provincetown has 97 town retirees eligible for Medicare. As it stands now, the town pays them about $698,000 annually, benefits administrator Pam Hudson said. Under the plan, the town would pay about $488,000 annually, a savings of about 30 percent.
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Middleboro has ~ 300 retirees.
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Provincetown is not alone --
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In a spot check of Cape towns, Sandwich, Mashpee, Falmouth and Orleans have adopted the state law requiring town retirees age 65 and older to enroll in Medicare. Barnstable and Provincetown are among those considering it.
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This seems to be the secret to accomplishing the change --
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Town officials in Orleans and Mashpee said a campaign to fully educate retirees about the plan, and its costs and benefits, was an important reason the measure passed at town meetings.
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When you begin with the mindset that you're already at "bare bones," you sabotage yourself.

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Partially through the school year, this is what the school department saved -- $318,512? Nothing to sneeze at!

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If the mindset can't be changed, maybe the BOS should be changed.

West Bridgewater Newsletter

Kudos to West Bridgewater --
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WEST BRIDGEWATER — With approval by the board in August, the town will form an e-mailing system for updating residents on town news, health issues and states of emergency.
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“The Board of Selectmen will be developing a policy to ensure that all public events and meetings are posted with the same regularity and degree of prominence as those which appear on the bulletin board at Town Hall,” said Selectman Matt Albanese. “It’s really the only cost-effective way to keep residents informed of local happenings and issues of concern.”
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Since the Middleboro Board of Selectmen refuse to allow the public to communicate with them via their "email web sites," don't look for this to happen in Middleboro, but wouldn't it make sense?

Middleborough Area MRC Technician Amateur Radio Course

Last Call- Sign Up Now

IF YOU WANT TO SIGN UP- DO IT BEFORE SEPTEMBER 16TH

Middleborough Area MRC will be providing a Technician Amateur Radio license course in the following format which will be on Wednesday nights starting September 16 and going to October 21. Each class will be for 2 or 3 hours. This course will provide an exam at the end of the course. This course is free for MRC and CERT volunteers. This includes the cost for course material and for taking the exam itself.


This course will be taught by Eastern Massachusetts ARES, who serves 190 communities in all eight counties east of the Worcester County line from the NH state border to Cape Cod and the Islands. The organization maintains a close liaison with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency through its Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) program as well as the National Weather Service Taunton Office's SKYWARN program. ARES is composed of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in public service when disaster strikes.


If you are interested please call and sign up at the Middleborough Health Dept. 508-946-2408.