Breaking News

Opinion

Lots to ponder in troubling times

Commentary

Lately I have been unable to refrain from random thinking. Much here is controversial. I wonder how many businesses destroyed by fire after failing to make money were actually cases of self-inflicted arson in an effort to collect on insurance. And I wonder what underground organizations specialize in these sorts of “transactions.” Regarding business transactions, I have been arguing for more than a decade that being a leader, a president especially, is not the same as being a businessman. Navigating a nation through a sensitive and volatile geopolitical landscape requires ...

County GOP proving spending addiction

The OBSERVER’s View

Republicans in Chautauqua County may have made a decision that we will all regret — perhaps not tomorrow, but at some point down the road — by agreeing to mandatory yearly cost-of-living raises for the salary ranges for county managers at the top and bottom of the salary scale. It’s the sort of decision a county can make when it has a fat pile of cash in its savings account. And it’s the sort of decision that can come back to bite you when that pile of cash isn’t quite as plush. In 2013, Chautauqua County's unappropriated fund balance was $12,600,000. Do you know what you ...

Worlds of difference separate East, West

Commentary

People ask when the conflict with Iran will be over. But the Iran conflict is merely a continuation of the 1,400-year war between contradictory cultures. From Rudyard Kipling’s 1889 poem: “East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” The East-West divide pits Western beliefs in Natural Rights and freedom of conscience against Islamic (Sharia) Law – which forbids both. The current conflict is simply the latest salvo in Islam’s war against everything non-Islamic. (The word “Islam” means “to submit”.) Since the early 7th century, Islam has ...

Budget proposal threatens stability

Commentary

A recent OBSERVER/Post-Journal editorial asked if the Chautauqua County 2027 budget is realistic. I think a better question is: “Is the 2027 budget prudent?” The answer to that question is “No.” I was the County Budget Director from 2017-2023. I worked for three county executives, including Executive PJ Wendel. The executives and the Finance Department agreed the budget should be structurally balanced, the tax levy should not exceed the levy limit, and general fund balance should only be used for unusual or unexpected expenditures. In this year’s tentative budget, two of ...

Poverty rates take troubling toll on youth

Editor's corner

As energy and grocery costs continue what seems as an unending climb, many households — even those working multiple full-time jobs — are experiencing more than just a pinch. It is an absolute cash gash. Within the last month, the New York State Association of Counties continued banging ...

Blakeman brings energy, enthusiasm to campaign

Commentary

Let’s pick up where we left off last week. It’s worth encouraging “Never Trumps to imagine what would have become of the law if Donald Trump had lost the 2016 presidential election and not filled the three Supreme Court vacancies from 2017 to 2020.” Please think about that. We’ll ...