Monday, November 23, 2009

Marc Alessi along with Stop and Shop customers help feed the needy


Mary MacElveen
November 23, 2009

Last night, I wrote a column awarding NY State Assembly member, Marc Alessi my Founding Fathers award. In reporting to you of his efforts to help feed the poor and hungry here on Long Island through Island Harvest, I was unaware of how much was collected through the support of Stop and Shop customers.

In reading my emails this morning, I was contacted by Katrina Kieltyka who is Marc Alessi’s events coordinator. According to Ms. Kieltyka: “Yesterday's event was very successful; we collected about 450 lbs of food, including four turkeys, and an additional $230 dollars in gift cards.” Those gift cards can be used by our hungry neighbors to purchase food within our stores.
As our hungry neighbors sit down and feast upon these donations, they have this man to thank as well as the generosity of Stop and Shop customers.

In this follow-up column are pictures of Marc Alessi hard at work to feed the hungry. These pictures were taken by Katrina Kieltyka.
I would also like to remind my readers that Stop and Shop is hoping to raise $1 million dollars to feed the needy through our “Food for Friends” campaign. You can donate $1, $3 or $5 dollars at our registers.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net

Sunday, November 22, 2009

NY State Assembly Member, Marc Alessi wins my Founding Fathers award

By Mary MacElveen
November 23, 2009

In these dire economic times, we the people would love nothing more than to sock the nearest politician in the nose as we face such hardships trying to survive. We also often hear the term: “Walking the walk” as opposed to “Talking the talk” We the people love the former and despise the latter.

As a cashier for a grocery store, I am highly sensitive to the plight of the hungry when so many stick to their budgets or cannot purchase food items in these lean times or on the other end, those lucky enough to purchase their turkeys and all the trimmings that go with it.

On Thanksgiving Day we must be mindful that there are millions of Americans from coast-to-coast who will go without as opposed to many who cannot put one more morsel in their mouths. I just wish that Washington would think of that for at least once as they stuff their pockets with campaign donations coming from lobbyists.

In retrospect, I get sick-and-tired of politicos yapping their gums on any news program and just want them to get the job done to serve the needs of we the people. Don’t you? People are literally starving out there.

In ringing up my customer’s sales today, there were many who stated: “Can you please put these items in a separate bag so I can donate them to the man collecting food for the hungry outside?” With that, I said: “Yes, I will.” I wondered who this man was and it was not until my break time did I know who he was. The man turned out to be Marc Alessi who is a New York State Assembly member and one that I came to know through local politics. He was out there for hours collecting food for Island Harvest whose mission is to feed Long Island’s poor and hungry. Good on, Marc!

Quite frankly, we were both surprised to see each other: me as a cashier and he collecting food for the hungry, but it was an enjoyable encounter.

As we look upon Washington, D.C. where many politicians are trying to stop health care for all, especially the poor and the hungry as well as Americans in general, here is a lone politician giving up a sunny Sunday in order to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves. How great is that?!

We are all but one paycheck away from being one of the millions that do go hungry day-to-day and it is truly an honor to know an elected leader in Marc Alessi whose call it is to walk the walk instead of talking the talk.

I hereby award my Founding Fathers award to Assembly member, Marc Alessi of the great state of New York for truly representing the needs of his constituents. Those being the hungry amongst us. Take that Sarah Palin as you try and enhance your financial portfolio in selling your book: “Going Rogue”

Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net

Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author for permission.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

There are far more powerful women in our lives instead of Sarah Palin

By Mary MacElveen
November 18, 2009

Why are so many drawn upon the supposed strength of Sarah Palin, when the true strength is found upon the millions upon millions of women who face such hardships in life or continue life as is? This, I cannot answer. Why buy a book to increase her bankbook or the publisher that published it? In these harsh economic times, save that money for what is truly important to your world and not hers.

At this point, I do not know the price of her book, but all I will add is to put that money towards food, clothing and housing. Feed your children instead of feeding Palin’s political aspirations. If it is meant to be.

Each day as a grocery store cashier, I see women come to work to make ends meet making a little over minimum wage and they are not grabbing any microphone they can. They are the women America should be listening to as they stand for hours checking their customer’s purchases out. If Palin truly wishes to know what the true economy is all about, let her stand in the shoes of those at the grocery-store check-out aisles. We not her know what America’s true economy is all about as she bloviates.

There are other women of strength such as police officers who strap on a bullet-proof vest to insure that they come home to their families as they arrest those who break our laws. Does Palin even know of their plight as she complains of her downfall in her “Going Rouge”? As their shift begins, they do not even know if they will come home to their husbands or children. Let her sit on that one for a while as she thinks what she (cough, cough) writes is important to us all.

There are women, who wear our military uniforms to insure this country’s safety day-in-and-day-out, but their faces are not seen or heard from as the media concentrates on her. Many of them have died in service to God and country. Who exactly does she think she is in denigrating those around her as women have come home in caskets in service to you and me?

Each day, we go to our mailboxes to collect our mail and little do we realize that post-women have delivered it. I have seen these postal workers wearing vinyl gloves to protect themselves from possible anthrax attacks. Yet, no one notices them. They are true women of strength delivering to we the people our bills and catalogues and if we still write them, a personal letter to a family member or friend.

On any given day, there are mothers and fathers sending their children off to be taught their lessons by a teacher of the female persuasion. They know all too well the crisis of funding our children’s education in today’s economic crisis. In fact they will often ask parents to purchase educational materials needed when a school budget cannot afford them.

At any given moment a home may go up in flames and over the years, fire departments have hired female-firefighters. They, like police officers put their live on the line for you and me. They, unlike Palin should be heralded for racing towards the flames as she ignites political flames.

On any given day, you and I sit down to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner if we can afford it. Little do we realize that farm-women work endless days to produce the food we consume. It is truly back-breaking work, but no one heralds these women, much less speaks of them as we eat our bacon and eggs or pork-roast. Don’t forget that peanut butter and jelly sandwich which many still love.

We love to eat our Post, Kellogg’s or General Foods cereals and grains, but what of the women working for these companies who are not seen by you and me in order to feed America? They are not heard from as we gobble up these grains. They make nothing compared to the amount Palin will make from this one damn book.

If we are lucky enough to own an automobile, most likely a female autoworker has assembled it. We pray that it is safe enough to drive from point A to point B and she is right there on the assembly line putting it together meeting all specifications. If we are not as lucky to own a car, there is a female transit worker insuring we get from those same points via public-transportation. Yet, no one sees them or knows of their struggles to make ends meet or their struggles on the job day-to-day.

As we have seen through this economic crisis, women along with men have been laid off, thereby losing their jobs, homes and health insurance. Yet, yet they are not in the bull’s eye of the media to tell their plight. Yet, yet, Sarah thinks she is deserving of it? Oh please let her live their lives for at least one day.

With this book coming out just before the holiday season, please know this: There are many powerful women that you meet day-in-and-day-out who work to provide for their families who do not stand to make millions. Why not spend the money on products or services that will help them provide for their own instead of Sarah Palin’s bank account?

Sarah Palin in quitting the governorship of Alaska proved she was not a fighter where many women out there truly are. Reward them and not her.

Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net

Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author for permission.

Based on a Politico.com article: I am sick of game-playing politicians

By Mary MacElveen
November 17, 2009

I posted the below tweet on my Twitter page citing how a hug between Gov. Charlie Crist and President Barack Obama as being a game being played by Marco Rubio. This Twitter came forth after reading a Politico.com article which discusses it.

MaryMacElveen You know when staunch conservatives like Rubio are out of ideas when a hug is their best ammo against Crist: http://tinyurl.com/yl4lqhz

Not posted due to space constraints on Twitter, this to me is just a political game to win over votes. People are truly hurting out here and they want to know how best a candidate can help them instead of playing these political games.

Don’t flash images in front of us treating us like children, but treat the voters as grown-ups where you go into detail how you will best serve us all.

Tell us how you will get healthcare into the hands of each and every American. Tell us how you will get millions back to work. Tell us how you will keep taxes at bay since we are drowning in higher-and-higher tax rates. Tell us how you will educate our children to insure a prosperous future for them. Tell us how you will lower the cost of food. As a cashier, I do see prices increasing and people struggling to make ends meet. I have witnessed first hand how they have to put a food item back because they simply cannot afford it.

When their eyes meet yours they are filled with embarrassment and where they lower their voice saying: “I do not have enough to pay for that” Welcome to my world as a grocery store cashier. I see that, but game-playing politicians do not.

Tell us all how you will go up against the evil empire known as credit card companies who are charging higher-and-higher interest rates and keeping us all in debt-bondage.

Tell us all how you will save a family from losing their homes due to bankruptcy. This is our new way of life and quite frankly, the American people are sick and tired of the game playing. Who knows how many families are being sent foreclosure notices everyday and where the sheriff shows up to evict them and toss their belongings onto the street as well as change the locks.

We see through the Stupak amendment real games being played when abortion is inserted into the mix. In my opinion, the ONLY reason it was put in was to kill health reform in this country for those who truly need it. Rep. Bart Stupak has healthcare, yet is playing games with yours.

As I watched “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” last night, tears came to me as they aired the first free-clinic in New Orleans. This was done to put pressure on Sen. Mary Landrieu to back healthcare reform. She did not show up to this event and declined to be interviewed. COWARD! This as one thousand of her constituents showed up to see a doctor in which four had to be raced to the hospital. What a game player she is as thousands more suffer and millions more across this country. Sen. Landrieu has healthcare yet can deny her constituents the chance at seeing a doctor? If so, she deserves to lose her seat in the senate to one that will demand the right of every citizen to see a doctor.

If this is okay with tea-baggers, I will call them all unpatriotic, because they are not putting country first. Country first also means to me where each citizen has the right to see a doctor. Yes, even a woman who may seek to have an abortion. Patriotism, doesn’t only mean backing one’s country in a time of war. I prefer the former over the latter. The latter has all but drained out economy.

Exactly where were these tea-baggers and game playing politicians when it came to war funding? They want a balanced budget NOW?! Too late. You should have thought of that years ago.

The cost of both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is fast approaching $933 billion dollars, yet the right-wing seems to back these wars and not healthcare for all. What sanctimonious idiots they are. These right-wingers are truly showing just how unpatriotic they are.

They will tell us all in a bold-face lie that it is to win the war on terror. Sorry there is not a chance in hell of doing that. Due to our foreign policies abroad and keeping a military footprint in areas so volatile, we will always have enemies.

We can however win the war on terror on the medical front by insuring people can see a doctor where an illness does not become a catastrophic illness. To treat a catastrophic illness costs this country more. When a sick person cannot see a doctor, to me that is true terror!

So, game-playing politicians, tell us how you will help us with detailed plans instead of floating a picture of a hug between two politicians. If you are successful in your campaign, the hardest part is now upon you to actually get the people’s business done. My question is by using tactics like these: Are you even up for the job?

Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net

Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of it, please email the author for permission.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Please participate in Stop and Shop’s “Food for Friends” program

By Mary MacElveen
November 10, 2009

People do not ordinarily think of grocery stores coming to the aid of hungry Americans, but in many instances they do. Take Stop and Shop for example: At this point in time each store is raising money to help feed America’s poor. Their program is called: “Food for Friends” At your checkout aisle, you can purchase a donation card for $1, $3 or $5. All donations will be donated to local hunger relief efforts. This program ends December 3rd, 2009 and Stop and Shop hopes to raise $1 million dollars.

But, your participation need not end on December 3rd, since Stop and Shop holds great sales from week-to-week.

In this week's Stop and Shop’s circular, one can purchase 10 cans of Campbell’s cream soups (chicken or mushroom) for $10 dollars using one’s Stop and Shop card. Think of donating half of those cans to your local food shelters.

One can also purchase 2 Stop and Shop grated cheese 8 ounce canisters for $5 dollars. Donate the other one.

Not a fan of oatmeal? Well it is a great start to the day for starving children growing up in this country. This week, one can purchase 2 boxes of Stop and Shop instant oatmeal for $4 dollars. All varieties are included in this sale. Why not pick up 2 boxes for your local food shelter or more?

If you love Arnold’s wide pan breads or Thomas’s English muffins, this week it is buy one get one free. Why not donate the free one to your local food shelter?

As you will see in your Stop and Shop circular: One can purchase 10 Pillsbury cake mixes or brownie mixes for $10 dollars using your Stop and Shop card. Think of donating some to America’s hungry. They love sweets too.

Before the plight of the starving within this country came into focus; I thought why would anyone buy 10 cans of soup or 10 boxes of cake mix? Perhaps hunger being the focus now, one can share their bounty as they food shop.

If you do not have a Stop and Shop near you, please look at your store’s circular to see how you too can help feed America.

Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Stony Brook University Hotel is: Jobs, Baby, Jobs

By Mary MacElveen
November 7, 2009

A new report was released on Friday (November 6th, 2009) citing that the unemployment rate presently stands at 10.2 percent. That figure is nothing to sneeze at during this cold and flu season. It means that America is sick when so many Americans are out of work, or quite frankly have given up looking for work. In my opinion, this is a pandemic that has spread coast-to-coast with absolutely no relief in sight.

In my opinion THE MOST POWERFUL words in today’s economy are: “I have a job”, but for millions they do not feel such power. For many past bread-winners, they are finding it tougher and tougher to put mac-and-cheese on the dinner table.

In the past, I have reported where food pantries are barren due to our economic crisis. We can do better than that for our citizens and we must.

Just recently, I read a Newsday article that made the bile rise from beneath my throat. Newsday reported where Stony Brook University plans to build a hotel on their campus to be used in a multitude of ways. In my opinion the building of this hotel on the Stony Brook campus is a win-win situation. The reason, the bile rose within my throat is because some opposed the construction of it. Idiots!

While some are concerned this project will encroach upon the green-belt of Suffolk County, NY, exactly where have their voices been as suburban sprawl has encroached upon our county year-after-year? This suburban sprawl has put many to work and now through this sole-project, they are worried the green-belts will be decimated? Oh please as one looks at one baron strip mall after another.

I am still scratching my head that suburban sprawl has not been met with this same ridicule and protest as this lone hotel project has been.

According to Newsday some civic leaders: “worry that placing it on 11 acres in a wooded area near the campus' main entrance will jeopardize a "greenbelt" of trees along Nicolls Road and commercialize the roadway.” I would invite these civic leaders to look at Suffolk County as a whole and not the microcosm of this project. Just look upon the environmental impact at the expansion of Route 347 has had to Suffolk County. I have written of that before.

You want to look at an eye-sore? Just look at the development project that replaced the former Davis Peach Farm in Miller Place, NY to know what I speak of. The Davis Peach Farm produced local produce, now the land is block-upon-block of cookie-cutter homes with increased traffic surrounding the development. No one said boo about this development being built.

Malcolm Bowman, a professor of marine and environmental sciences stated: “The campus forest is our heritage, and we built this great university in the center of this forest, so we must do everything we can to minimize the damage," Let him state that to a tradesman who has been out of work for a long time and needs to feed his family. It will NOT compute. Me, personally, I would love to see that exchange.

Stony Brook University who has been at the forefront of building this hotel stated that the building of this hotel has been in the works since 1989 was not an “impulsive decision” In fact, Stony Brook University stated: “It took 20 years to come to an agreement with a developer that was interested in preserving the buffer and working within the university footprint guidelines.”

So for those who have a knee-jerk reaction opposing this hotel’s construction, you will see it has been a well thought out project.

Having acquainted myself with Kara Hahn via numerous Democratic functions in the past, I paid close attention to her sentiments on this hotel’s construction where she said, “her group was opposed to commercialization along Nicolls Road. She said after meeting with university officials last week, "I think they understand our concerns and I hope to work with them so we can maintain that buffer.", I have to wonder how many food pantries she has visited lately or has she been paying attention to the unemployment rate? Kara, people are starving for work and food.

Quite frankly, this hotel’s construction is about, jobs period. Jobs are our lifeline where breadwinners can come home with the bacon in order to feed their families. Those who will build this hotel will take their earnings to many points along the way feeding our economy. A local supermarket where these construction workers will shop to bring home that bacon will thrive from this incoming business as well as local delis and 7/11s. Should these construction workers need items to construct this hotel, the Home Depots or Lowes will benefit from increased dollars going into their companies. All of these companies that I have mentioned will surely see increased sales where they can retain their employees and their employees will NOT fear being laid off in this strenuous economy.

Once this hotel is completed, just think of the jobs it will bring to this local area. Not familiar with hotel market: imagine how many maids, laundry personnel, barkeep, restaurateurs, chefs, waitresses, front clerks and the list is endless that they can employ. These are good paying jobs where we as a nation need to put people back to work. If any of these personnel find themselves in these new jobs, think of where they can spend their money. The list is endless, but more importantly, they can put food on the family table. It truly boggles the mind how anyone can stand in the way of this economic progress.

This is purely a local stimulus package which should not be stopped, but embraced for the workers it will employ. I say, go for it!

Author’s email address is xmjmac@optonline.net

Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please contact the author.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

In light of Fort Hood: Michelle Bachmann, shut the hell up!

By Mary MacElveen
November 5, 2009

Please forgive me as a non-paid columnist for using such strong language, but if there were any congress member, I would want to b-slap at this moment it would be Congress member Michelle Bachmann for staging her ‘insurgency’; movement inviting citizens to “look within the eyes” of their congress members to protest the public option.

In seeing news footage of this protest one can see pictorials of the holocaust and that is out of line considering the public option plan is meant to save lives, not murder. Even the American Medical Association and the AARP are backing the public option and they are far more learned on this issue than she is. Does she even think that she knows more than a doctor or a health representative for the aged? Oh please! They are after all at the forefront of this issue and know the details in depth as she spews her venom and consistently opens up her pie-hole. Me, I want to forever plug her pie-hole!

Just today we learned that a Major in the U.S. Army, Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 12 people and wounded 31. This is the true cost of war. Wars that the extreme right-wing back while innocents are taken from their loved ones.

I cannot even fathom as a feeling human being how the families of these loved ones are feeling at this very moment, much less coping. May God be with them in their time of great need. My tears and our tears are with them all.

The extreme right-wing would rather back at any cost the true cost of war in both Iraq and Afghanistan that have a detrimental affect not only to our soldiers, but innocents abroad. Yet, they can stand before our eyes and spew venom at a healthcare bill which can save millions of Americans? Oh help me to understand these miscreants for surely I cannot!

Tonight, Americans from coast-to-coast are trying to wrap their brains and hearts around this slaughter at Fort Hood, but we simply cannot. In place we can only send our prayers and support to the victims of this senseless massacre.

Is this what we have to look at for years to come as we redeploy more soldiers overseas to wars that are unwinnable? Are these wars worth funding, while the extreme right-wing nuts or psychopaths will deny any monies to heal our citizens? It sure seems so; right?

To my fellow Americans from coast-to-coast, when will you tell these extreme right-wing nut-cases presently in congress who will deny you healthcare yet funds these wars to quite frankly, SHUT THE HELL UP!?

Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net

Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Why so many Democratic losses?

By Mary MacElveen
November 4, 2009

Forget about the NY 23rd congressional race that Sarah Palin, Governor Tim Pawlenty and former Gov. George Pataki interjected themselves in backing the Conservative candidate, Doug Hoffman over their fellow Republican, Dierdre Scozzafava. The true message of tonight’s Democratic Party slaughter can be found in the voice of the Nassau County, NY Democratic Party Chair, Jay Jacobs as reported by Newsday. He opined: "I just don't see Democrats coming out the way we would have liked," Jacobs said. "It doesn't mean anything terrible for the results, but it doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling right now."

Let me correct, Jacobs having worked numerous campaigns; the results are everything in the course of the body politics. Coming in second means just that. Second!

Well the results were terrible as the county legislature’s control switched tonight from Democrat to Republican. That is a FAR greater number of voters over the 23rd congressional district of NY. A message was lost to the party faithful and now they (the party heads) must own this defeat. Those who came out in droves to elect President Barack Obama last year; stayed home. The question is why?

What generated the Obama win was the GOTV (Get out the vote) via the net-roots and minority vote and perhaps they were not as engaged in this election than the past year. Are some elections more important than others when it comes to the political hierarchy? Local elections are by far the most important ones that directly affect a populous and the populous spoke back tonight.

Citizens are not really paying attention to far-away wars or who this country helps, they are paying attention to their personal bills such as, mortgages, property taxes and utility bills. So, if you are an Internet writer concentrating on foreign events, your words are lost to your fellow citizen as these elections proved.

As of this writing; Newsday reports: “With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Suozzi, a Glen Cove Democrat, leads Edward Mangano, a Republican from Bethpage, by 313 votes, according to the Nassau Board of Elections.” Yes, every vote does count. The Democratic incumbent, Tom Suozzi was thought to be a strong gubernatorial candidate a few years back and now he is in a horse race with his Republican challenger, Mangano? Either this does not compute or the times have significantly changed. This is surely to be a nail-biter to the very end as each vote is counted and thankfully done on lever machines.

Is this a slap-back at the Obama administration and the Democratic controlled House of Representatives and Senate? Or is the failure here in turning out the Democratic vote? Perhaps a little of both.

As an ardent supporter of universal healthcare for all Americans, perhaps Americans were frightened by the sticker-shock. Maybe, just maybe those tea-party-baggers did resonate in tonight’s election results when Governor Jon Corzine lost to his Republican challenger, Chris Christie.

As progressives rail against Joe Lieberman for even daring to filibuster healthcare reform, maybe the voters spoke out tonight? It will be a long time to dissect this election.

While the Florida representative, Alan Grayson spoke of the numbers who died each year due to lack of healthcare, I do suspect that voters could not conceptualize those numbers and only looked upon the numbers of their family budgets. Or they looked upon whether or not they had a job or not.

The Republican Virginian candidate, Bob McDonnell ran on a motto “Bob’s 4 Jobs” and to me that is a campaign message in a nut-shell with the national unemployment rate running at close to 10 percent. America so wants to work!

While the Democratic controlled federal government is trying to push forth healthcare reform when it needs it: My question is, if a person is without a job, how can they afford to pay any premium to an insurance company or the government for that matter? They simply can’t. If they cannot afford to pay either two since they do not have a job, should they be penalized? People’s first need is to eat in order to survive and they need money to pay for their groceries.

Perhaps that is exactly what the voters were playing with in their minds as they entered the voting booths today. Maybe those who refused to show up showed a weakness in the Democratic Party machine over the Republican machine. I can attest to the strength of the Republican Party here locally on Long Island as a former Republican. It used to be when you were called to show up, you did just that. That has never been the strength of the Democratic Party here on Long Island and perhaps that is the way other Democratic Parties operate nationally.

In my new job as a cashier for a food store, I do speak with my customers and in the fore-front of their minds is the high-cost of living. Sorry for all that are pushing healthcare, I have not once heard that. I see customers sticking to a budget. That is the real economy. With the unemployment rate hovering at ten percent, the most powerful words in today’s economy are “I have a job” and sorry to say, not healthcare. Perhaps jobs not healthcare for all should be the issue of the day.

While many progressives tried to paint the ‘tea baggers’ as a crazy bunch, there may have been something simmering just below the surface which delivered today’s off-year election results.

To close out this piece the difference between Nassau County Executive, Tom Suozzi and his Republican, Edward Mangano challenger is 237 votes. If you are a Democrat in Nassau County, this does not bode well. If you are a Republican, it gives you energy to fight another day.

Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net

Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please contact the author.