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2                      • Thursday, September 5, 2024          MOOSE LAKE http://mooselakecartoons.com

                            Editorial

    Is RFK Jr. correct?

       Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the nation on Aug. 23, 2024. During
    his presentation from  Phoenix, AZ, Kennedy suspended his 2024 cam-
    paign for U.S. president and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
       Kennedy stated, "Three great causes drove me to enter this race in the
    first place, primarily. And these are the principal causes that persuaded me
    to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw
    my support to President Trump. The causes were: free speech, the war in
    Ukraine, and the war on our children."                                                             PERSPECTIVES
       Regardless of what you may think of Kennedy’s decision, or candi-
    dates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, it is important to consider . . .
        Kennedy’s insight on the war in Ukraine ["In 2019, America walked  Balancing act: UB study links gentrification
    away from a peace treaty, the Minsk Agreement, that had been negotiated
    between Russia and Ukraine by European nations."], the state of medical  to reduced crime, but downsides
    care here ["Today we spend more on healthcare than any country on Earth,
    twice what they pay in Europe. And yet we have the worst health outcomes
    of any nation in the world. We’re about 79th in health outcomes, behind of gentrification can’t be ignored
    Costa  Rica,  Nicaragua,  Mongolia  and  other  countries.  Nobody  has  a
    chronic disease burden like we have. During the COVID epidemic, we had  eighborhood  gentrification lowed  by  a  surge  in  development are  vulnerable  but  do  not  gentrify,
                                                                         in  Buffalo  between  2011 beginning  around  2010.  This  was according to Barr.
    the highest body count of any country in the world. We had 16% of the
                                                                  Nand  2019  was  associated fueled by state-funded projects and  “Although  both  are  disadvan-
    COVID deaths even though we only have 4.2% of the world’s popula-
                                                                  with  a  decrease  in  property  crime, private  investment.  In  addition  to taged,  the  latter  are  more  so.  It  is
    tion."] and the state of the U.S. political system ["What most alarms me
    isn’t how the Democratic Party conducts its internal affairs or runs its  independent of a general decrease in those changing features, Buffalo, in important  to  take  these  preexisting
    candidates. What alarms me is the resort to censorship, media control, and  similar crime city-wide during those the last 20 years, has become a des- differences into account if we are to
                                                                  same years, according to a Universi- tination for refugees and migrants.  say gentrification matters for crime.
    weaponization  of  the  federal  agencies.  When  a  U.S.  president  colludes
    with, or outright coerces, media companies to censor political speech, it’s  ty at Buffalo study.  “By studying neighborhoods in By  looking  at  two  differences  –
    an attack on our most sacred right of free expression. And that’s the very  The  findings  published  in  the cities  like  Buffalo,  we  can  look  at those between gentrified and never-
    right upon which all of our other constitutional rights rest."]  journal  PLOS  One  could  help  city gentrification  in  a  place  that  has gentrified  tracts,  and  changes  over
       While much of the media attention is unfortunately on sound bites,  planners and lawmakers faced with continued  to  go  through  economic time  within  the  same  tract—  our
    giveaways, personalities and name calling, Kennedy, if nothing else,  has  balancing issues like neighborhood hardships while simultaneously ex- multipronged  approach  does  this,"
    shed a little light on issues that should be of concern to the electorate.  improvement  and  crime.  The periencing the hallmarks of gentrifi- says Barr.
       As more and more news organizations cease operations, the flow of  study’s  authors,  however,  caution cation,”  says  Zhang.  “Buffalo’s  The results were the same across
                                                                  that gentrification is often accompa- unique  experience  with  gentrifica- the  study’s  multiple  approaches:
    information is extremely important in our republic. Those familiar with the
    tyranny of communist governments appreciate the value of dissent. Kenne-  nied  by  multiple  effects,  and  the tion,  despite  its  ongoing  economic Gentrification was linked to reduced
                                                                  wide-ranging impact of the process struggles, provides insights that can crime.
    dy’s comments should be disconcerting.
       He stated, "The Democratic Party’s censorship of social media was  demands   carefully   measured apply to other, older industrial cities  “Although  this  study  does  not
                                                                  thought ahead of any direct action.  aiming for revitalization.”  speak directly to policy changes and
    even more of a naked exercise of executive power. This week, a federal
    judge,  Terry  Doughty,  upheld  my  injunction  against  President  Biden,  “If well managed, gentrification  The current study, which relied their effects, plausible ways forward
                                                                  could be part of a strategy to make on  census  data  and  data  from  the might  include  affordable  housing
    calling the White House’s censorship project: ‘The most egregious viola-
    tion of the First Amendment in the history of the United States of America.’  neighborhoods  safer,”  says  Zhe Buffalo  Police  Department,  also programs,  community  engagement
                                                                  Zhang, a sociology graduate student distinguished  itself  from  previous efforts  and  economic  support  for
    His previous, 155-page decision details how, just 37 hours after he took
    the oath of office swearing to uphold the Constitution, President Biden and  in the UB College of Arts and Sci- work  by  not  looking  at  gentrifica- long-term  residents  to  ensure  that
                                                                  ences, and the study’s lead author. tion  as  a  discrete  process.  Earlier the benefits of gentrification, such as
    his White House opened up a portal, and invited the CIA, the FBI, CISA,
    which  is  a  censorship  agency,  the  center  of  the  censorship-industrial  “However,  it  must  be  emphasized studies have centered on the differ- reduced  crime,  do  not  come  at  the
                                                                  that gentrification is a complex is- ences  between  gentrified  and  non- cost of the most vulnerable popula-
    complex, DHS, the IRS and other agencies to censor me and other political
    dissidents on social media."                                  sue,  and  the  countervailing  effects gentrified areas, but Zhang and Barr tions,” says Zhang.
                                                                  of crime reduction must be consid- also examine changing crime rates  This study is a first step toward
       As the 2024 presidential election draws closer, let’s hope more atten-
    tion is paid to free speech, foreign affairs, and the war on our children.  ered alongside potentially negative within  neighborhoods  as  they  un- understanding  gentrification’s  ef-
                                                                  outcomes,  like  displacement  of dergo  gentrification.  They  studied fects on crime on mid-size cities, but
                                                                  long-time residents.”         79  different  census  tracts  –  areas more work is needed.
                                                                     Since  the  1990s,  gentrification, containing 1,200 to 8,000 people –  “We  encourage  qualitative  re-
        Quinn Minute –                                            which involves an in-migration of a in the years leading up to and fol- search – stories from people in these
                                                                  new,  middle-class  population  fol- lowing gentrification.  areas  –  as  well  as  quantitative  re-
                Swimming Lessons                                  lowing  a  period  of  economic  de-  “This  approach  helps  clarify search like ours, to better understand
                                                                  cline,  has  changed  many  urban whether crime rate changes are due the  underlying  reasons  behind  the
        am a certified Baby Boomer, so  As you probably know, some  landscapes in the U.S.      to gentrification itself or other fac- link  between  gentrification  and
     Iwhen I grew up in the 1960s  frogs secrete a substance that    But most research on gentrifica- tors,” says Zhang.       crime  and  other  effects  resulting
    there were nearly three zillion kids  makes them slippery. That frog slid  tion  has  been  in  large  cities  like  Neighborhoods  that  eventually from the process, both positive and
    in my neighborhood.            out of my hand, and back into the  New York, Los Angeles and Chica- become  gentrified  are  different  in negative,” says Zhang.
       Nearby was a public pool that  water.                      go. Because lessons learned in those some ways from neighborhoods that
    offered free swimming lessons each  I kept chasing him around the  large cities do not necessarily apply
    summer. Most of us kids begged to  pool, and he kept evading me until  to  smaller  cities,  Zhang  and  study
    attend those lessons, and most of us  – suddenly – he got sucked into the  co-author Ashley Barr, PhD, an as-
    did.                           filter.                        sociate  professor  of  sociology  at
       This was just a medium sized   That’s the day I learned that –  UB, expand upon that earlier work
    pool, not equipped to hold a full  like that frog – some people don’t  by focusing on Buffalo, a mid-sized
    neighborhood. Sometimes there  realize when the water’s too deep.  city.
    were so many of us, it heated the  And they don’t pay attention to  Buffalo,  a  characteristic  Rust
    water…which brings me to my sto-  those who offer help.       Belt city, prospered through the ear-
    ry.                               Then, suddenly they realize that  ly  20th  century,  but  then  experi-
       One day, I was standing in wa-  jumping into hot water constantly  enced  high  unemployment  and
    ter near the pool’s edge, when I saw  can be very draining.   population  loss  in  the  1980s,  fol-
    a small green object.  It was a medi-  FAMILY MEMORY BOOK? –
    um sized frog, swimming freestyle  Turn old thoughts into a new mem-
    around the edges.              ory book…for a very affordable  Business group
       But the frog wasn’t there for the  price. For more details and a nice
    lessons. It apparently wanted out.  discount, contact         rates lawmakers                THE HUSS SUPERSTORE on Military Road near Grote, which
    What could I do?               Memorygram.com, and insert the                                was    vandalized  a  few  weeks  ago,  has  closed  for  good.  On
       I walked over to the frog, cra-  discount code rix20. For even more  from page 1          Monday a sign could be seen in the window saying “We are no
    dled it in my hands, and lifted it  details, e-mail Rix at       The   NFIB     noted   the  longer in business. God Bless!”     photo by Amber Healy
    onto the edge. Since this water con-  rix@rixquinn.com with the word   Voting Record does  not  reflect  ev-
    tained chemicals, I probably saved  MEMORYGRAM in the “Subject”  ery element considered by lawmak-
    that amphibian.                line.                          ers  when voting,  nor  does  it
       But he sat on the edge for a                               represent a complete profile of the     Published by Buffalo Standard Printing Corp.
    minute, then jumped back into the      Place your             legislators.  The  voting  record  in-           Roger Puchalski - Editor
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