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Opinion

Dots have been connected, don’t look away

Commentary

The simple minded and the uninformed can be easily led astray. And those who can not connect the dots look the other way. People believe what they want to believe when it makes no sense at all. Walk Tall — John Mellencamp 2004 I implore readers of this column to watch the village board workshop meeting of May 4. This meeting truly contains the good, the bad, and the ugly of village government. The good begins at approximately 44 minutes into the meeting when the mayor, the trustees, the LaBella engineers, and the DPW chief discuss replacing the village’s ancient water mains. ...

Getting past the noise for freedom

Commentary

As anyone who has ever tried to escape reality can tell you, you’re more than likely to end up back in it. We can imagine things to be different. We can dream away the night, but when the sun comes up, it’s the same sun as yesterday. We find ourselves in the same material world at the same fixed place in time’s continuum. Despite our ingenuity and resourcefulness, we are still bound by natural laws. We can undergo joint replacement and cosmetic surgery, but we can’t stop aging. We can disown family members but we can't change our DNA. We can build B52 bombers, but we can’t grow ...

Inept Fredonia content to be in crisis

The OBSERVER’s View

Fredonia’s follies just will not go away. Last week, after a contentious Village Board meeting marred by a minor scuffle after the public comment session, trustees went into executive session and created even more chaos. When they came out of it, the board terminated its Department of Public Works supervisor. While trustees have every right to do so, there is no replacement waiting in the wings. David Bird, a former trustee, had been hired in November to lead the department. From most accounts, he had been doing an acceptable and above-average job. Three trustees — all Democrats ...

Battling adversity spurs patriotic virtues

Commentary

Americans by nature seem to root for the underdog — in sporting events and in military battles. Many times, in our nation’s history we have been on the side that must beat all the odds. This was the story of our nation from the very beginning. Even farther back than the creation of the United States. We can look to the settlement of Jamestown in Virginia to see how a small group of people could stand against the elements of the harsh new land to prosper and grow a thriving community. We saw the puritans sail through terrific storms to land upon the beach of Plymouth and for the ...

State’s Greed Machine ignores high energy costs

Commentary

The irony would be funny if Albany Democrats were not costing us billions of dollars to accomplish nothing, while simultaneously pushing their “affordability” meme. Apparently, working people have noticed their electric bills doubling, and Albany is getting nervous because our affordability problem is home-grown and cannot be blamed on anybody else — try as they may. If Albany has its way, our rates will soon double again. Rational energy policy has the same effect on Albany’s Greed Machine that direct sunlight has on vampires. The Greed Machine is that cabal of big ...

Voters allow withering schools to keep splurging

Editor's corner

Eighteen school districts using your taxpayer dollars are continuing to prove they are major economic engines for Chautauqua County. Each year at this time, they expect a stamp of approval from residents when it comes to spending plans. When the annual vote occurs across the state on ...