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Actions speak louder than words

This axiom has been my belief since I can remember. It was a part of my upbringing. It was taught to me by my parents and reinforced by teachings from the Bible — “By their deeds you shall know them.” As kids we also soon learned that there are usually more “talkers” in the world than there are “doers.” People are to be judged more by what they do than by what they say. This translates, of course, into observing the actions vs. the words being daily issued by our President. He is always tweeting or saying things to get people stirred up, but he is also doing ...

Democrats raising state’s energy prices

New Yorkers pay some of the highest energy prices in the nation. Mandates, surcharges, restrictions and regulatory decisions enshrined into law are the reason why energy prices in New York are less affordable than elsewhere. These high energy prices make it harder to live and work in New York. New York utilities are forced, by law, to charge you with a “delivery fee” which is actually a subsidy for renewable energy companies; the money is collected through your energy bill and passed along to renewable energy companies to artificially lower the cost of producing renewable energy ...

Meaning always same at Christmas

It’s not news that many people feel added stress during the holiday season, and that the commercial aspect of it can be very annoying. Christmas is a time when we are supposed to feel the presence of something divinely peaceful and forgiving, yet today our faith in humanity and/or God is deeply challenged by violence across the globe. Voices singing of Silent or Holy NIghts or Peace on Earth struggle to rise above the din of bombs in Ukraine, exploding boats in the Caribbean, and gunshots in Providence. And on the home front, folks worry about their finances. The backdrop of a ...

Questions on Ripley Solar persist

“There are several factors impacting the (Ripley Solar) project, including import tariffs, high interest rates and federal trade policies that bring uncertainty to cost of materials (that) have made this project not economically viable in its current state.” This was a sentence in a recent letter to Ripley landowners who have signed leases with ConnectGen, the developer of the 3000 acre solar project that has been looming over the southwest corner of Chautauqua County since 2018. There has been much opposition to the project from Ripley residents during that time but the town ...

Rescuing Obamacare is bad medicine in U.S.

The recent U.S. government shutdown brought to light America’s debate over government intervention in our economy, and particularly in healthcare. Are we Socialist? Free-Market? Something else? Obamacare was sold as the remedy for perceived shortcomings in U.S. healthcare. Its supporters promised to save families $2,500 per year, contain costs, and make healthcare unicorns available for all. Yet, Democrats recently held the nation hostage for 45 days of shutdown demanding additional subsidies to rescue Obamacare from itself. But rescuing Obamacare is the opposite of rescuing ...

Seasonal church visit was a gift

Dear Richard and I were in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. We had matinee tickets for “White Christmas”, the holiday musical, on stage. When I bought the deep discount tickets, I thought it would be a great way to jump into the mood of the holiday season. We stayed at a friendly B&B and had a fun, chatty breakfast with the two other weekend couples. After breakfast, there was time before our theater afternoon for the Sunday service at St. Marks Anglican Church downtown. It was a good decision because for the past week, I’ve been chewing on a few ideas I ...