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Opinion

Government has no worries over spending

The OBSERVER’s View

Dunkirk resident Linda Wierzba makes a lot of sense. Last week during the public hearing on the $32.2 million city budget — that includes a hefty tax increase — she made the obvious points. "In my household, if I went and just kept spending, spending, spending and not having the money to pay my bills, what would happen? My house would go into foreclosure, they'd repossess my vehicles. I just don’t understand the mentality of this city." She’s exactly right. But government never worries about rising costs because they know the taxpayer will ultimately pick up the pieces. It ...

Nature's fall colors not as appealing on ground

Commentary

It seems weird that November has arrived and so many leaves are still clinging to the trees. It also might seem weird that someone (like me) would look forward to their falling because it’s fun to rake them up into big piles and stuff them in bags. But this essay is not about the ...

Christian music strikes the right chord

Commentary

I heard it as a teenager. I said it as a parent and a teacher. You may have too. “How can you listen to that crap? It’s terrible. Do you even know what the lyrics are saying? That’s not music.” And you may have given or received the same response. “I don’t listen to the words. I just like the beat.” Or something to the effect of, “The artist is just expressing their emotions or making social commentary.” Or ” I don’t mind the profanity, that’s just the way that they talk.” I never actively looked for Christian-themed music until I taught my son’s Faith ...

Voters took control of misguided U.S. leadership

Commentary

What an election! Folks, the power has always been ours, we just need to be convinced to use it! For every election, large or small, we should have a very modest expectation that at least a majority of registered voters would cast a ballot. I heard so many folks at the polls say this, that if you don’t vote, don’t complain. These people take their responsibility seriously, as we all should. Not every country affords its citizens the right and privilege of a say in its government, and we are lucky to be where we are, and to be part of this blue wave that is rising to the occasion. ...

Measles outbreak defies advances in medicine

Commentary

My medical training didn’t prepare me for this moment. I grew up in Warren County, Pa., but now live in Buffalo and work as a hospitalist, meaning If you become a patient at the hospital and have to stay overnight or are not going straight to surgery, I am often one of the doctors taking care of you. I recently went to speak at a conference in Lancaster, Pa., at the center of the current largest U.S. outbreak of measles, which claimed its sixth death this past week. As I prepared for that trip, I found myself pondering how to reduce my exposure. I worried, not for myself, but for ...

A trickle-down effect on water orders

The OBSERVER’s View

We understand the frustration of the Chautauqua County Health Department. Its presence at Fredonia Village Board meetings in the last 18 months is about being accountable while attempting to shed light on the challenges regarding water treatment. What we did not agree with was a statement by Jessica Wuerstle regarding the boil-water and conservation orders, the latter of which ended Friday afternoon. Wuerstle complained the media picks and chooses what it wants to run from her department's releases, and accused it of not providing the full details on events. She suggested that people ...