If you want a healthy meal, skip the holiday turkey

Saturday, November 17, 2007 11:22 PM EST

Here are the top ten reasons to skip the turkey this Thanksgiving:
€ You will pardon a turkey - just like President Bush, but for the right reasons.

€ You'll celebrate life and good fortune, rather than death and misfortune.

€ You won't suffer nightmares about how the turkey lived and died.

€ You won't have to call the poultry hot line to keep your family alive.

€ You won't have to sweat the saturated fat and cholesterol.

€ Your vegetarian friends will adore you.

€ Your kids will tell their friends about their cool “tofurky.”

€ You won't fall asleep during the football game.

€ You are what you eat. Who wants to be a “butterball?”

€ Commercial turkeys are too fat to have sex. Could happen to you.

This Thanksgiving, let's give thanks for our good fortune, health and happiness with a life-affirming, cruelty-free feast of vegetables, fruits and grains.

An Internet search on vegetarian Thanksgiving got us more recipes and than we could use.

Ari Holten

Auburn

Social Security benefits must reflect inflation

According to a 1999 document of the New York State Office of Aging there are about 7,000 Auburnians who receive Social Security checks. It is reasonable to assume that the average check will average at least $10,000 a year yielding a cash flow of $70 million. The 2-3 percent COLA we have been receiving amounts to a pay cut. It is far below local inflation rate which runs about 15-20 percent per year.

What harm can come to the Auburn city council if it takes a moment to pass a resolution to be sent to senators Clinton and Schumer and Congressman Arcuri, stating “that City Council on behalf of all Auburnians request that you do everything in your power to peg the COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) of those on Social Security to the annual increase in the federal budget, an increase that amounts to more than 14 percent? This would inject additional cash; about $10 million, dollars we seniors could use to pay taxes and expenses. Injection of $10 million in cash through new jobs would be excruciating difficult. Tell our delegates that the funds we put into SS fund were intended for our retirement not for the support of wars for any other purpose which benefit large corporations.

Right now large corporations and those living in foreign countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan benefit from our hard-earned savings.

This is wrong. If our delegation find it too difficult to persuade all other congressmen to go along, at the least they could demonstrate their sincerity by initiating laws to peg our COLA to the increase in the federal budget and vote against any increase in funds for foreign wars.

We owe it to our elderly who have worked so hard all these years only to see their life savings frittered away through inflation.

Peter Kotzer

Auburn

The Citizens' Say

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There are 4 comment(s)

brew1234 wrote on Nov 18, 2007 8:20 PM:

" I don't know what country you live in that has an inflation rate of 15% to 20%. The COLA is tied to the inflation rate which is not that high so your whole arguement is not valid. "

brew1234 wrote on Nov 18, 2007 8:17 PM:

" I'll eat my turkey and you can eat your veggies. I will try to make up for you and eat 2 turkeys. Where do you get off telling me what to eat on Thanksgiving. I want my right to celebrate the coming of the pilgrims and the slaughter and conquering of the Indian race. After diner I will go to the Indian tobbacco store for tax free cigs and go to the Indian gambling center as my penance to the Indian race. "

irritated wrote on Nov 18, 2007 9:41 AM:

" Thanksgiving without turkey? Thats like Christmas without Santa. At least in America it is! And to Mr. Kotzer, you do have some valid points about our elderly population struggling with benefits they now get, however its not just Social Security. All of the elderly people I work with everyday get some kind of Medicaid/Medicare coverage, the Medicare D mess, food stamps and live in subsidized housing. Increase the Social Security amount and Medicaid spend downs go up, food stamps go down, and subsidized rents go up. Its a systemic problem across the board NOT just Social Security. In order for the "system" to really help our elderly population all these areas must be addressed. I absolutley agree that if the thieves in Washington would leave Social Security funds alone there wouldnt be the looming bankrupcy of that system on our horizon. Ive paid tens of thousands into a system that wont be there when its time for me to use it! "

Yikes wrote on Nov 18, 2007 2:59 AM:

" Dear Mr. Kotzer, what part of NO don't you understand? The people of Auburn let you know exactly where they stood with their vote. I hate to be the person to clue you in but in case you missed the election, YOU LOST. Thanksgiving=Turkey and potatoes and corn and yams and rolls and pies, et cetera, et cetera. If you don't like this tradition, please find a country that makes you happy. "

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