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Luigi Mangione is no hero

At the height of the 2024 Christmas season a premeditated murder carried out in cold blood occurred in New York City. The victim was not chosen because of whom he was but for what he represented. In this case the nation’s health insurance business. The murder approached the victim from the rear and shot him in the back in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2024, outside his hotel. The victim was Iowa native Brian Thompson, 50, a graduate of the University of Iowa who joined UnitedHealthcare in 2004 and rose through the ranks becoming CEO in 2021. He was described by coworkers as ...

What does the Legion represent?

By KIRK L. MILLER Recently on March 15, the American Legion celebrated its 106th birthday and is heralded as the oldest and largest veterans’ group in the USA. The organization was formed in 1919 by a group of veterans who had served in World War I and returned home to discover that many soldiers were experiencing despair upon leaving the military. The founding members decided that a club designed to allow these men who had experienced the same mission, and shared the same levels of patriotism for their country would be ultimately beneficial. The Legion was formed and many of the ...

In defense of U.S. Sen. Schumer

Our U.S. Senator, Chuck Schumer, has come under some fairly heavy criticism in the past couple of weeks over his decision to not let the government default. The criticisms were framed primarily by those in his own party who believed that the decision would further enable the President in his efforts at dismantling the federal government. This impression was magnified when the President, himself, thanked Schumer for lending support to the Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government running through September. I am not entirely a disinterested observer in all of this, since many ...

City must not change park’s character

There are several considerations when evaluating changes at Memorial Park in Dunkirk. When I was young I remember my grandfather George Sr. and father George Jr. saying that Memorial Park enjoyed some sort of special status, perhaps use restricted by covenants and restrictions, or by city proclamation. It was a veterans park in its entirety. I don’t know how true that is but we must ensure that any development is in accordance with any special status if it exists. In other words someone needs to look into this and not casually blow it off. The Director of Public works told me ...

State’s efforts reveal desire for control

If you’ve noticed your utility bills creeping up month after month, you’re not alone. Chautauqua County families are paying more to heat their homes, keep the lights on, and fuel their businesses. At a time when everything from groceries to gas is already more expensive, these rising energy costs are hitting hard-working New Yorkers where it hurts the most—our wallets. According to NYSERDA, the average New York residential electricity rate is 49% higher than the national average. It is 49% more expensive to run your dishwasher for 1 hour or watch TV for 20 hours in New York state ...

Coping with area firefighter, EMT shortages

Watching the recent fires in California was frightening, as were the fires in Hawaii last year, but the firefighters there were heroic. None of us want to believe something like that could ever happen to us. However, if it did we would certainly want people like those we saw coming to the rescue in California rushing to save us. The same is true regarding accidents and other medical emergencies. The pressing question is - are there enough nearby firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) available to rescue us? Consider yourself fortunate if you’ve never had to ...