Williston Observer

Jan. 27, 2011

Grand larceny

Gary M. Grzywna, 53, of Williston was cited on a charge of grand larceny on Jan. 19 for logging on a resident’s property, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court. No other information was released.

Theft

A woman who was allegedly caught stealing at Wal-Mart on Jan. 19 refused to come back in the store when approached by Wal-Mart personnel, and left with another female in a blue GMC Jimmy with a “fox head on the rear window,” according to police reports. Witnesses were unable to get the license plate number of the vehicle because it was covered with snow, but video footage of the suspects was obtained by police, the report notes. The case is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Williston Police at 878-6611.

Driving under the influence

• Anick P. Desorcy, 33, of Stanstead, Quebec was cited on a charge of driving under the influence on Jan. 1, according to police reports. His blood alcohol concentration was .222, according to the report. The legal limit for driving in Vermont is .08. No other information was released.

• Police received a report of an erratic driver on Jan. 24 and subsequently cited Paul A. MacCluskey, 47, of Jericho on a charge of suspicion of driving under the influence–third offense, according to police reports. MacCluskey’s blood alcohol concentration was .138, according to the report. He was lodged at Chittenden County Correctional Center for lack of $1,500 bail.

• Christopher Cole, 47, of Richmond was cited on a charge of driving under the influence-second offense on Jan. 26, after police received a report of an erratic driver, according to police reports. Cole’s blood alcohol concentration was .205, the report notes. He was cited to appear in court on Feb. 15.

Multiple charges

Dewayne White, 25, of Essex Junction was cited on charges of stealing $50 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart and driving with a suspended license on Dec. 3, according to police reports.

Driving with suspended license

• Crystal L. Hardy, 25, of Essex was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license on Dec. 3, according to police reports. She was cited to appear in court.

• Brian A. Tourville, 56, of Jericho was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license on Dec. 5, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

• Jason J. Jewer, 30, of Beebe Plain was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license-criminal on Dec. 5, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

• Ashley J. Osterhout, 27, of Williston was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license-criminal on Dec. 14, according to police reports. She was cited to appear in court on Feb. 7.

Cheese dishes

Jan. 27, 2011

By the time children are 2 years old, one of their favorite foods is the grilled cheese sandwich.

For adults, it can be more healthy if the bread is toasted first. Place the cheese of your choice (cheddar is the best) on one slice of toast and put it in microwave to melt. Remove and place the second slice of toast on top and you have a toasted cheese sandwich with little fuss or mess. You can do about the same thing by putting the sandwich in the oven.

Quick and easy cousins to the grilled cheese are the old recipes known as Welsh Rarebit and a similar version known as RinkTum Tiddy.

Welsh Rarebit

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

pinch of salt and pepper

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup milk

1/2 cup beer or medium white wine (put the rest of the beer in your next chili recipe)

2 cups (8 ounces) cheddar cheese, shredded

4 to 6 slices toast

Melt butter in pan and add flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat until blended, stirring constantly. Remove from stove and stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring all the while. Boil for 1 minute. Add beer gradually. Stir in the cheese. On low heat, stir until cheese is melted. Serve over toast. You could garnish with a slice of crisp bacon or tomato slices. Some recipes call for a full can of beer and less milk.

Rinktum Tiddy

(There are various reasons for the name of this recipe, one of which is the following: a belly flop on an ice skating rink)

Melt 1/2 pound of cheese over low heat (or in microwave), add pinch of salt and 2 to 3 drops of hot pepper sauce. Stir and add 1 can (10 ounces) of condensed tomato soup and 3 tablespoons water.

Serve on toast or crackers.

Soufflé in a Pot

I learned to make a quick soufflé by putting approximately 1/4 cup of water in a quart saucepan, bringing it to a boil over high heat and then turning it down to medium heat. Next, whip 2 or 3 eggs and stir in chopped onion, dash of pepper and salt and/or herbs, shredded cheddar cheese or another cheese of your choice. You can also add cubes of cream cheese. Pour into the hot water and cover the pan with a lid. Turn to medium-low heat. Let this cook slowly for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately. I like a few drops of hot sauce sprinkled on top and no other seasonings.

Ginger Isham lives with her husband on a fifth generation family farm on Oak Hill Road.

What happened to compromise?

Jan. 27, 2011

The House Republicans did not vote to repeal the health care bill because they thought it would pass in the Senate. They did it because it is a symbolic gesture. Many Democrats play it like the Republicans really thought the vastly Democratic Senate would vote in accordance.

It is symbolic on both sides. The Democrats knew the Republicans would immediately try to knock “Obamacare” off the table and, equally, the Republicans knew that the Democrats would shoot it down.

So, why are both parties scoffing at the other? This is not a new thing — it’s hard-headed American politics. Politicians on each side want to show their constituents that they are doing what they believe they were elected to do. The Republicans believe, based on the November elections, that they have a duty to cut spending. On the other hand, the Democrats believe that they had a duty to the American people to provide health care services.

What I would like to know is why Congress insists on the back-and-forth party rivalry. We will get absolutely nowhere because both sides — Republicans and Democrats — cannot let go of the competition. Neither party wants to compromise on the issue. That is our biggest downfall. We will not do anything constructive if we cannot remember what it means to compromise, to come to a place where we can agree on something. Neither party is willing to give something up.

The House Republicans, led by John Boehner, have attempted to bridge the party gap, at least a little bit, with things like Tuesday’s State of the Union seating chart. They have also tried mixing up “politics as usual” by reading the Constitution (in its entirety) in session. This shows at least an honest effort by Congress to end the trend of ignoring the American people.

I have addressed the issues with our current party system before: “There is this idea that it is possible to pacify every group, while simultaneously our party system is driving the country in two,” I wrote in this space on Sept. 30, 2010. In school, it seems like we are always trying to find out what someone’s political beliefs are, because somehow it matters.

Young people are taught more and more to be less open to the statements that come out of the mouths of the other party. Obama recently referred to Republicans as “enemies.” Congress is supposed to be a collaboration. Of both parties! Yes, when there is a majority, it will lean more to that side. But we need to stop automatically rejecting what comes off the other party’s table.

The government is not supposed to be a competition between opposing viewpoints. Yes, that will happen. But I am saying that that is not the purpose of the government. The bare bones purpose of the government is to provide safety, write laws and enforce laws — to do what’s right for the country. The Republicans and the Democrats in Congress both represent the ideas and beliefs and desires of the American people. So when the president says something about Republicans being the enemy, how do you think that makes that U.S. citizens feel? How about when Republicans accuse liberals of a socialist agenda? All this is doing is aiding the growth of our faulty political system.

Congress is not supposed to be a gathering of representatives and senators that bash each other’s ideas. It is supposed to be a meeting of the minds during which discussions and debates take place to improve the welfare of the American people. When is the last time that happened?

So no, the vote to repeal the health care was not about the stupid Republicans or the power-hungry Democrats. It was a call to change. It was the House saying, hey, we would like to make some changes to this. It was symbolic because it meant that the Republicans are doing what they said they would do, and the Democrats are doing what they said they would do. Has anything really changed?

And I believe that both parties need to listen and be willing to work toward something they can both agree on. Sacrifice, people. It’s called sacrifice. Ask the Greatest Generation what that means if you can’t remember.

We’re taught from a young age that if you can’t resolve a conflict, you compromise. It kind of seems like Congress skipped kindergarten.

Williston resident Kayla Purvis is a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School.

Consequences of repealing the health care law

Jan. 27, 2011

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known in some circles as “Obamacare.” The repeal vote, which passed on a party line vote (except for three Democrats who broke ranks), has largely been reported as symbolic for two important reasons.

First, the Senate, which is still (though just barely) held by the Democrats, will likely never even take up the repeal bill, let alone pass it.

Second, should the impossible happen and the repeal bill pass the Senate, the President would undoubtedly veto it. Given that, it would take an even more impossible two-thirds vote of Congress to override the veto.

So why even bother? Republicans have said it is because they made a promise to do so in their 2010 congressional campaigns, and the people had given them a mandate: repeal the health care law.

While I agree that the Republican sweep of the House was a message from the people, I don’t think it had a thing to do with the health care law. The law, in fact, contains many provisions that people are either very happy about or would be if they thought about the bill as more than “Obamacare.” The repeal effort is little more than a Republican gift to its real base — and that base is certainly not the people of the United States.

There are several key provisions that have not even gone into effect yet, but with repeal, the following important, existing features would disappear:

• Beginning almost immediately after the law took effect, children of covered persons could remain on their parents’ policy until age 26, unless covered by their own policy. Previous insurance company rules dropped children at the age of 19, or when they graduated from college. This requirement is now insuring an estimated 1.2 million people.

• Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions. Being a Type 1 diabetic, this is of particular interest to me, and to 3 million others like me. And that’s just diabetes — there are scores of other conditions and diseases that can exclude a person from individual coverage. I’m fortunate to be covered by a corporate policy, but many others are not so lucky, and they are now protected.

• Lifetime limits are eliminated, meaning that if you have a chronic condition that requires ongoing treatment, you need not worry about running your benefit out. Annual limits are still legal, but they are being phased out over the next three years.

• In the law, breastfeeding mothers must be given time to either breastfeed or pump breast milk during the workday. Loss of this provision would force some mothers to make a tough choice between working and staying home; between using breast milk and formula, a choice that can cost money not only immediately (in the form of savings on formula) but also in the long-run (in the form of health benefits to babies whose mothers are able to breastfeed).

• The law aims the soften the financial blow of the so-called Medicare Part D “Donut Hole.” Prior to the new health care law, seniors paid a coinsurance for drugs up to $2,840. After that, and up to $4,550, prescriptions were completely uncovered. The new law provides for a 50 percent discount for drugs purchased while in the $2,840 to $4,550 range, which can add up to considerable savings for those on a fixed income.

Different polls show different levels of support for repeal — but numbers that mean a “mandate?” A recent AP-GfK poll puts support for repeal at just 41 percent, with opposition to repeal at 40 percent. This 1-percent edge is hardly a mandate.

The “mandate” disappears when the details are examined. In the same poll, for example, support for a ban on the pre-existing existing condition exclusion stands at 50 percent, with 34 percent opposing such a ban (though the 34 percent who oppose make me muse at the respondents’ misanthropy).

Repealing the health care law, even if it could be done, would be a bad idea. What Democrats have done and need to continue to do is highlight how important this law is to so many people. As more and more of its provisions take effect, more and more people will be affected by it. By increasing coverage, we will increase the overall health of Americans and, in doing so, provide a stronger, healthier workforce to help America meet the challenges that face us in the evolving global economy.

Steve Mount has been a Williston resident since 1996. He is a software engineer at GE Healthcare and is devoted to his family, his country and his Constitution. You can reach Steve at [email protected] or read his blog at http://saltyrain.com/ls.

Hot soup for cold winter nights

Jan. 27, 2011

Cold winds and snow, winter darkness and hungry bellies all tell us one thing: “Feed me soup!”

Soup is a satisfying choice for lunch or supper this time of year as it is a hot food that is quick and easy to prepare. It can be made quickly in large quantities so extras can be frozen or used for another meal, which definitely puts the time-saving practice of cook once and eat twice (or more) in motion. In fact, most soups taste better on the second day or for the second meal as the flavors have time to intensify.

Soup also can be prepared in a slow cooker and be ready at dinner time if you put the soup together in the morning before leaving for the day. Perhaps you have a woodstove that has a surface that can be used to cook soup. Or if you have a pressure saucepan, you can make soup quickly using that appliance.

What’s nice about soup is that you can utilize leftovers in the refrigerator such as meat, poultry or fish, dried beans, vegetables and rice or pasta. Or if you prefer to follow a recipe, you’ll find an abundance of soup recipes online and in cookbooks. Or make your family favorites.

Check out the wide variety of canned soups available at your local market. You can heat up canned soups, adding more ingredients if you want, for a healthy meal in no time.

Be sure to read the nutrition facts on the food labels, as canned soups are generally very high in sodium — although most also are now available in a lower-sodium variety. Before preparing, check to see if the canned soup is meant to have liquid added or eaten as is. To increase the nutritional value of canned soups, add low-fat milk instead of water.

When I was a child, my mother always made canned tomato soup with milk. She called the soup “pink soup” and we loved it. This was her way to get us to drink our milk.

Soup as the center of a meal can be simple, quick and filling on a cold, winter day. A hearty soup that contains meat, fish, poultry or dried beans and plenty of vegetables is good to go with the addition of wholegrain bread or crackers and fruit for dessert. Depending on the content of the soup, including protein sources and vegetables, you might serve fresh vegetables and dip, hummus or cottage cheese to augment the meal.

When making soup that will not be served immediately, remember to follow basic food safety principles. The first principle is DO NOT put the large pot of hot soup directly into the refrigerator to cool. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that it takes an 8-inch diameter pot of chicken soup 24 hours to cool to a safe temperature (40 degrees Fahrenheit) in your refrigerator.

Before refrigerating soup, transfer it to shallow containers no more than 2 inches deep. The soup can be loosely covered while still warm in the refrigerator. Once the soup has cooled, cover it tightly.

If soup is not going to be eaten within two days, label the container with the name of its contents, date the package and put into freezer. Be sure to leave some headroom so as the soup freezes, it does not pop the lid off the container.

Soup should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees are considered the danger zone, an ideal temperature range for rapid growth of bacteria and pathogens that could result in food-borne illness. Heat soup to 165 degrees before serving.

Soup is a wonderful way to use some of those root vegetables such as carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips or potatoes that may be in storage in your cellar or refrigerator. Or visit your local market for soup ingredients. Then take the chill off your dining experience by serving hot soup to warm you and your family up on a cold winter’s night.

Dianne Lamb is the Extension Nutrition and Food specialist at the University of Vermont.