First stab at blogging

Here's a stab at a blog from me:
Dear Readers:
Okay, okay, people tell me that I should start a blog. Write down my thoughts, muse a little on the state of the universe, and share it with the folks (as Bill O'Reilly would say). So here's a first shot at it.
I've been thinking about the need to buy local, especially now when we see our national economy faltering and even our own local economy has a few dents. So, it's time to Buy, Live, Give Local on Valentine's Day and everyday--Please purchase your Valentine's Day gifts locally. No need to go to floralextravaganza.com or some such site. If you're considering flowers, jewelry, books or a card, buying dinner at a restaurant, or purchasing a gift certificate for a spa for your valentine, please consider our local merchants. Or make a donation to United Way or one of our local not-for-profits to honor your valentine. Here's a link to the Chamber's membership list: http://www.tompkinschamber.org/sitemanage/view/65 or call the Chamber for a referral to one of our great member businesses and organizations.
If you don't know the difference between the House and Senate versions of The Stimulus Package, here's a quick comparison of the House and Senate versions from the Senate's Chairman of the Committee on Finance. http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2009press/prb021009c.pdf
And for an important state issue, have a look at Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's proposal to streamline government by making it possible to do government consolidation in this state. http://www.oag.state.ny.us/media_center/2008/dec/dec11b_08.html But the cool thing is the interactive map of NY State that shows you the total number of government entities in each county in our state: www.oag.state.ny.us