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A job means almost everything

Commentary

When Martin Luther (the originator of the Protestant Reformation), in the early 1500s, wrote that any honest vocation is pleasing to God, one has a glimpse of what is known as the “Protestant work ethic.” A job brings some independence from parents to a high school graduate or college graduate. A job allows one to support oneself and then a family. A job instills a sense of discipline and self-worth. Unfortunately, Chautauqua County’s employment has fallen from 64,000 to 50,000 in just the past 15 years or so. (Prior to 2010, Chautauqua County had a remarkably stable employment ...

The OBSERVER’s View: Grid finds it tough to take heat

The OBSERVER’s View

New York’s power grid spent last week in the spotlight as a four-day heat wave brought requests to moderate power usage – including requests by Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s for air conditioners to be set to 78 degrees and for as many electric devices as possible to be used during cooler evening hours. The Fourth of July week certainly shows the mess that New York’s elected officials and the administrators they have put in charge of day-to-day have made of the state’s power grid. While New York is hardly alone struggling to provide enough ...

Politics has a way of blurring truth

Commentary

“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” These seven words are uttered so often these days that if given a beat and melody, they would be the hit song of the century. For many of us, the words reflect more than confusion and distrust in government. They reveal a deep seated fear that something major is changing in America, something beyond our reckoning. It’s becoming more and more difficult to think of ourselves as individuals who have a purpose in a world where Truth is irrelevant. As citizens, we are being deprived of moral agency and reduced to mere spectators. While all that ...

There's no cashing in with socialist theories

Commentary

Socialists have a long history of writing checks that Socialism cannot cash, and the platform of the Democrat(ic) Socialists of America (DSA) continues that tradition. Socialism is Socialism, whether or not proclaimed “Democratic” for political convenience. There is no difference between Socialism and Communism except that Communists are honest about their intentions to subjugate the population to totalitarian rule, whereas Democrat Socialists try to sneak Communism through the back door. The Democrat Socialist platform promises to reduce the work week to 32 hours while keeping ...

Drastic change for area school

The OBSERVER’s View

Chautauqua County’s only Catholic school is in the midst of a transition. With the resignation of Principal Paul Pinto, the Northern Chautauqua Catholic School lost a key leader. Just like one of his predecessors in Andrew Ludwig, Pinto was a cheerleader and advocate for the institution. “It has been an honor and a privilege to be your principal,” Pinto said in a message to NCCS families. “My door and office are full of cards from students, their artwork and surprise messages from the last 18 months. We cried together, shared in disagreements but only to grow in faith and love ...

Oversized governments keep adding to area burden

Commentary

There comes a point when citizens must speak plainly, and for many of us in the village of Fredonia and the city of Dunkirk, that moment has arrived. The tax burdens imposed on local residents have grown so excessive, so punitive, and so detached from the principles of limited government, that many freedom‑loving Americans now regard them as inherently unjust. These are not the modest civic contributions envisioned by our founders; they are heavy exactions that strain working families, retirees, and small businesses alike. In recent years, both municipalities have raised taxes to ...