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City marina operator is making it work

I followed with anger the series of articles in the Dunkirk OBSERVER in recent weeks regarding the city-owned marina in Dunkirk. The article quoted Vince DeJoy, city development and planning director, who indicated that the city is continuing its Main Street grant of $2 million to improve the marina, but did not inform the present operators, Pete Smith and his family, of the city’s intended operator. Smith and his family have maintained the Marina, and continue to serve the boat clients and have made their lease payments to the city on time. What I can’t understand is why ...

We can’t ignore needy, history

Once again I begin with Gaza. Starvation among children has reached a point that the physical effects will be irreversible. Even if they live their bodies and brains will be stunted. Dozens of them die every week for lack of food waiting across the border. The Israelis are not letting in the 500 trucks a day needed. When the United Nations was delivering food they had 400 distribution sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has four sites. It is funded with our tax money. People are forced to walk for miles and wait in long lines. At least 859 people have been shot by soldiers at ...

Energy policy is ‘the big one’

CHAUTAUQUA—If you think economics is boring, Stephen Moore proves the opposite. ≤ ≤ ≤ On Aug. 7, the White House chief of staff called Moore, co-founder of the Club for Growth and a Fox News contributor, and asked that he meet with the president, whom he has known since 2016. “I went over there, and I walked in(to) the Oval Office, and there was nobody there except Donald Trump,” Moore told an Aug. 11 Advocates for Balance at Chautauqua, or ABC, audience. “I showed him about five of these charts about how much better ... the economy had done in his first term versus ...

Homecoming Queen led full life

My old feisty friend, Louise, is gone now. But boy, did she give it a good run. After 94 years, my mother’s and my dear friend wasn’t challenging her world anymore. Instead, she was amazed at her good fortune. “They take my social security and give me all this -- a warm room, a great sack, and three hots a day.” In her flat Boston accent, she continued, “I get sixty bucks a month — it pays my phone, cable, and an occasional hairbob. Sometimes I watch TV all night,” she grinned. Louise’s precious house had become an unhealthy burden and she was forced to sell. Every ...

Evolving phones create true busy signal

I recently heard a news item that reported that more and more states are considering a ban on smart phones in schools, and it got me thinking. Back in my school days before bus rides were provided for everyone, if you lived in town you either walked or got a ride from someone. Once you got to school you were cut off from the outside world unless there was a family emergency. Back then neither students nor parents saw a need to be in instant contact with one another during school hours. By the way, I don’t begrudge bus rides for all students because it’s probably safer, but many ...

Can’t nickel and dime tariff impact

By RICH BARTELL The Aug. 9 commentary by Scott Axelson and Michael Dee concludes that “tariffs are only a tax in uneducated minds suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome.” I consider my mind to be reasonably well educated on business and economics, but I struggle to find any coherent argument in their commentary to justify that conclusion. The writers are responding to another commentary on July 12 by Fred Larson which argued that “the United States has essentially imposed, for the first time, a 10% national sales tax on the wholesale value of everything imported into our ...