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Caution in order on steel, antibiotics

CHAUTAUQUA—Oren Cass is the chief economist at the American Compass. But, he notes, he’s not an economist in the sense of having an economics degree or writing papers about economics. Meanwhile, Dennis Wilder, a professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C., is a former senior American intelligence officer and policymaker. ≤ ≤ ≤ Delivering the July 25 morning-amphitheater lecture at Chautauqua Institution, Cass rightly recalled Americans’ buying inexpensive steel from steel manufacturers in a particular country. The country ...

The challenges of our country roads

Monday morning brought yet another trip to a doctor in Erie. My mid-afternoon appointment enabled me to buzz around town early with a few errands, plus I planned to enjoy lunch with an old friend in Erie. But by the time I met Connie at the restaurant, I had a sad story to tell from my morning drive. I love the back road from Sugar Grove, Pa., to Ashville, N.Y. The fields, the Amish farms, the cows and sheep – and oh, the horse-drawn buggies. I never tire of the pastoral vistas or the little blue-clad boys in their straw hats. On Monday, I had just crested the first large hill to ...

Silent Generation member turns 80

On June 29 I turned 80, one of those milestone years in a life should we be around that long. Family lore has it that I was born at approximately 9:30 p.m. Central War Time, the name given to year round daylight savings time in effect from Feb. 9, 1942, to Sept. 30, 1945. My place of birth was St. Mary’s Hospital in my mother’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wis. At the time my father, a Marine Corps officer, was on Okinawa preparing for the invasion of Japan, the invasion that fortunately never was. Turning 80 is nothing like turning 90 or 100,I suppose. But you realize that you have ...

Oriskany battle took many young lives

I imagine that when his father George awakened him that sunny, hot early August morn, 13 year-old John Snell was beside himself with excitement. The day was finally here. He probably dressed quickly, gobbled down breakfast, grabbed his fife*, kissed his mother, joined his dad and set off to hook up with some 800 others who comprised the Tryon County Militia. They were mustering to march west up the Mohawk to relieve the British and Indian siege at Fort Stanwix (near present-day Rome). The trek seemed long and tedious given the weather, especially for one so young. John must have ...

Lessons from the world of sport

A recent weekend was highlighted by the 153rd occasion of a golf tournament — the British Open or, more correctly, if you live in the U.K., “The Open.” If you were an American, you had to be proud as the top four finishers were Americans, the winner being the current number one golfer in the world, Scottie Sheffler. But, golf is not just an American sport—it is a world sport. And, guess who was in the final pairing on Sunday? Yes, a player by the name of Haotong Li, from China. The lesson here was obvious: competitors don’t have to be enemies. The world of sport teaches ...

Don’t drink in what water ‘experts’ say

At a recent village board meeting there was much talk about listening to experts. The public has been listening to experts with regard to Fredonia’s water for quite some time. Here is a recap of what the experts have done and said. In 2016, village taxpayers paid for an expert study by O’Brien and Gere under the Landis administration. The experts presenting this study determined that upgrading the village’s reservoir, dam and water treatment plant was the least expensive option for Fredonia water. Had Landis been re-elected as Fredonia’s mayor, it is likely that grants would ...