Breaking News

Commentary

Politics has a way of blurring truth

“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” These seven words are uttered so often these days that if given a beat and melody, they would be the hit song of the century. For many of us, the words reflect more than confusion and distrust in government. They reveal a deep seated fear that something major is changing in America, something beyond our reckoning. It’s becoming more and more difficult to think of ourselves as individuals who have a purpose in a world where Truth is irrelevant. As citizens, we are being deprived of moral agency and reduced to mere spectators. While all that ...

Oversized governments keep adding to area burden

There comes a point when citizens must speak plainly, and for many of us in the village of Fredonia and the city of Dunkirk, that moment has arrived. The tax burdens imposed on local residents have grown so excessive, so punitive, and so detached from the principles of limited government, that many freedom‑loving Americans now regard them as inherently unjust. These are not the modest civic contributions envisioned by our founders; they are heavy exactions that strain working families, retirees, and small businesses alike. In recent years, both municipalities have raised taxes to ...

There’s no cashing in with socialist theories

Socialists have a long history of writing checks that Socialism cannot cash, and the platform of the Democrat(ic) Socialists of America (DSA) continues that tradition. Socialism is Socialism, whether or not proclaimed “Democratic” for political convenience. There is no difference between Socialism and Communism except that Communists are honest about their intentions to subjugate the population to totalitarian rule, whereas Democrat Socialists try to sneak Communism through the back door. The Democrat Socialist platform promises to reduce the work week to 32 hours while keeping ...

Chautauqua County Day at institution is July 17

CHAUTAUQUA—During just the first two weeks of Chautauqua Institution’s 2026 season, the music at Chautauqua Institution has been tremendous. Finding more than three examples would be easy, yet for today, let’s take just three. * * * You, faithful reader of this column, have long known the Raleigh Ringers—a North Carolina handbell choir that its conductor said has been to Chautauqua seven times beginning in 1995—are worth hearing. Their July 1 concert didn’t disappoint. What’s obvious from any Raleigh Ringers performance is that they’re having so much fun, ...

Marxist values showing in recent wins

American political life has gotten a little more interesting as young, inexperienced individuals’ minds full of Marxist theory are winning Democratic primaries in mostly “blue” cities and states. Led by the team of smooth-talking antisemitic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and ...

Flying with the fearless fussbudget

My Aunt Jo was an interesting old fuddy-duddy. But she was never one of my favorite relatives. She was my Great Uncle Garnett’s second wife – a piano and organ teacher in Tustin California. She was very persnickety. My mother was Garnett Keith’s favorite niece, and every time she ...