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Fredonia school budget revote: District misses rightsizing opportunities

Let’s cut to the chase. The Fredonia school district has received an 8% increase in state aid this year. The district can propose a zero percent increase in the tax levy that would cover the 1.9% capital project approved by voters last December with a near 2% extra to apply to the district’s highest priorities. Essentially, state funds are paying for both. The big question is why is the district asking for an additional 1.9% on top of that. It seems arrogant to have a revote just because they didn’t like the outcome. Funny it never works the other way when it passes. The ...

A new form of Serfdom is closer than you think

“Nearly the whole of the professional, intellectual, and government class has betrayed the cause of universal human liberty in our times.” — Jeffrey Tucker. Our government forces taxpayers to subsidize those who chose not to work, lavishes subsidies on Wall Street billionaires for counter-productive Net-Zero Green Energy projects, and subsidizes illegal aliens and the Non-Governmental Organizations that brought them here. USAID funded the CIA overthrow of the legitimate government of Ukraine 2014, setting off the current Russia/Ukraine conflict which has cost a million lives so ...

Fredonia students need support of community

As students at Fredonia High School, we, like our fellow classmates, benefit from the programs our district offers, from large, diverse music and sports programs to a wide selection of courses and extracurriculars. Our students excel outside of the classroom in fields ranging from business and journalism to diving and geography. At the end of the day, though, every school needs resources, paid for by the communities they serve. Residents’ ability to pay for said resources is, understandably, strained by the 56.03% village tax increase levied last month. If those with fixed incomes ...

Preparing Old Glory for its special day

June 14 is the birthday of the United States Army. It’s also Flag Day. Supporting our troops and throwing a great big “atta boy” their way is easy. Showing your loyalty to our country ourselves is just as easy. When we make the decision and follow through with the act of putting our red, white and blue outside on full display, we do need a few little moments of instruction. First, we must be clear that there is a difference between indoor and outdoor flags. Indoor models will usually be non-weatherproof design. They will be fringed in gold threads and adorned with gold ...

Rush hour traffic on a vacation Monday

One overloaded black pickup truck plus one fast-changing green light, equals one broken rearview mirror. Not a planned expense on my annual spring getaway to Massachusetts. Returning to my daughter’s house from a visit with old friends, I missed my turn. Ever the explorer, I thought, “I might as well see where this road takes me.” B-I-G mistake. A few miles later, I rounded a rotary, still in the suburbs south of Boston. But in short order, I was in heavy rush hour traffic. OK, Doofus, this is a mess of your own making. Whaddaya gonna do now? Boston’s traffic was voted the ...

Having some faith in Pope Leo

I have lived during the Papacy’s eight popes. The first was Pius XII who died on Oct. 9, 1958. Pope Leo the XIV’s papacy will likely be my last because at 69 he is 10 years younger than I am. He is the first American pope, which was something that many American Catholics thought would never happen. Since his election we have learned that Leo XIV was born in Chicago as Robert Prevost in 1955. He was an altar boy and sang in the choir at his parish and he has two older brothers Louis and John Prevost and that he comes from a strong Catholic family. He entered the Augustinian minor ...