A nice variety of thinking out there this weekend, on a wide range of issues.\u00a0 Check out all the opinionating and add your thoughts below.<\/p>\n
The Plattsburgh Press-Republican<\/a> chimes in on the on-again-off-again rivalry between Plattsburgh and that other city on the lake, Burlington.<\/p>\n [F]or all the disadvantages Plattsburgh endures in relation to the rest of New York state, it is a city distinctly on the rise, with a glorious past, a satisfying if unostentatious present and a promising future \u2014 particularly if Laurentian Aerospace, the Strand Performing Arts Center and other development plans are realized.<\/p>\n Plattsburgh and Burlington really shouldn’t be compared. But, in the context of their respective states, Plattsburgh should be very proud of what it has become.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Glens Falls Post Star<\/a> chimes in on the cell phone while driving debate, siding with Federal regulators who are pushing for a total ban — even on hands-free devices.<\/p>\n The National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation should be followed, and all cellphone use, even with hands-free devices, should be prohibited. No call is worth a car crash.<\/p>\n Beyond the law, however, we need to change our frame of mind about what is acceptable behavior while driving. Thirty or 40 years ago, we did not attach the stigma to driving while intoxicated that we do now and, consequently, fewer people were as careful then as we are now to avoid driving drunk.<\/p>\n Something similar needs to happen with cellphone use, which some studies have found approximates the effects of alcohol consumption on driving. It’s convenient, it’s common and it’s dangerous. It needs to stop.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n