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Welcoming a new pope

In the midst of the daily swirl of bad news from across the world, last week brought some good news—the election of a new Pope. I am not a Roman Catholic, but it is always exhilarating to experience the spiritual uplift that comes when a new pontiff is selected. It is good to have a world leader who brings spiritual perspective and continuity and who is not caught up in the day-to-day political battles that are always occurring between nations around the globe. The Pope, as leader of his church, stands for something more. There was elation in this country that the new Pope was ...

‘Callous’ council not serving city

As a Chautauqua County native and resident and mental health advocate, I was beyond appalled to read the callous comments made by the Dunkirk City Council in the article on May 10 OBSERVER, “Destitute man vexes city officials.” I must admit I had to read the article three times to convince myself that anyone, especially elected officials, would make these kinds of statements about a fellow human being, and in an open forum, no less. Assumptions were made by Councilwoman Natalie Luczkowiak about the homeless man’s ability to live a normal life without the knowledge or ...

Fixing Medicaid to protect it for the vulnerable

For months, Democrat leaders in Washington and across the country have been pushing a false narrative: that Republicans are slashing Medicaid and targeting vulnerable Americans. It’s a lie. Here are the facts: House Republicans are protecting Medicaid for those who truly need it—pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families. We are ending abuse of the system by cracking down on waste, fraud, and ineligible enrollees. That includes removing dead people, illegal immigrants, and able-bodied adults who refuse to work from the Medicaid rolls. That’s ...

Higher education’s importance: County benefits from strong SUNY

As someone who’s never been shy about calling out what’s broken in Albany, I believe it’s just as important to recognize when we get something right. In this year’s state budget, we made a smart investment in the future by strengthening our SUNY system including a meaningful boost in support for SUNY Fredonia. As a Fredonia native, I have a personal stake in the success of this campus. It’s more than just a local institution, it’s been a part of my life and the lives of so many friends and family who’ve studied, worked, and built careers through SUNY Fredonia. ...

Education system keeps failing America

In October 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel. Which side of that issue you are on is your business, but something very important was revealed during the ensuing conversation. At our “elite” universities, anti-Israel protesters parroted the slogan: “From the river, to the sea…” whereupon a number of reporters asked these elite students: “From what river, to what sea?” One would think that students at our most prestigious colleges – being taught by our most “progressive” professors – would actually know which river and which sea they were talking ...

Libraries need sustained support

Think of this. If someone asked you to list the most significant inventions in humanity’s history, what would you include? Wouldn’t you include the printing press? To be sure, humanity could — before the printing press — transmit knowledge, wisdom, and culture from one generation to the next. Yet the printing press—invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany around 1440 — broadened the transmission. Eventually, books became so prevalent that they needed repositories, so libraries — and eventually public libraries—were born. Parents and guardians who haven’t ...