Breaking News

Opinion

GOVERNMENT: Partnerships ease board tensions

The OBSERVER’s View

Pomfret Supervisor Dan Pacos, subtly yet accurately, summed up the biggest difference between serving on municipal boards during a December meeting. Though the village of Fredonia is located within the town, it is a much different dynamic when it comes to discussion. Pacos said of the Town Board, “We all respect and get along, and we generally agree.” He emphasized that when disagreements do happen, discussions are respectful. That may have been directed at new Town Board member EvaDawn Bashaw, who took the seat held by Ann Eckman who resigned in September. Bashaw, who served on ...

Actions speak louder than words

Commentary

This axiom has been my belief since I can remember. It was a part of my upbringing. It was taught to me by my parents and reinforced by teachings from the Bible — “By their deeds you shall know them.” As kids we also soon learned that there are usually more “talkers” in the world than there are “doers.” People are to be judged more by what they do than by what they say. This translates, of course, into observing the actions vs. the words being daily issued by our President. He is always tweeting or saying things to get people stirred up, but he is also doing ...

COUNTY: Chilling concerns over homeless

The OBSERVER’s View

Over the past few years, one of the constant issues expressed by both the homeless and by advocates is the lack of street outreach to the homeless. That complaint came up again in November during the county Homeless Coalition meeting. Amanda Straight, Chautauqua Opportunities Inc. housing and community development director, said it had been brought to the coalition’s attention that street outreach is a problem, again, throughout the county. While the county does have some street outreach funding through the Safe Point Lighthouse Outpatient Clinic in Dunkirk, there is no Continuum of ...

Democrats raising state’s energy prices

Commentary

New Yorkers pay some of the highest energy prices in the nation. Mandates, surcharges, restrictions and regulatory decisions enshrined into law are the reason why energy prices in New York are less affordable than elsewhere. These high energy prices make it harder to live and work in New York. New York utilities are forced, by law, to charge you with a “delivery fee” which is actually a subsidy for renewable energy companies; the money is collected through your energy bill and passed along to renewable energy companies to artificially lower the cost of producing renewable energy ...

Meaning always same at Christmas

Commentary

It’s not news that many people feel added stress during the holiday season, and that the commercial aspect of it can be very annoying. Christmas is a time when we are supposed to feel the presence of something divinely peaceful and forgiving, yet today our faith in humanity and/or God is deeply challenged by violence across the globe. Voices singing of Silent or Holy NIghts or Peace on Earth struggle to rise above the din of bombs in Ukraine, exploding boats in the Caribbean, and gunshots in Providence. And on the home front, folks worry about their finances. The backdrop of a ...

Rescuing Obamacare is bad medicine in U.S.

Commentary

The recent U.S. government shutdown brought to light America’s debate over government intervention in our economy, and particularly in healthcare. Are we Socialist? Free-Market? Something else? Obamacare was sold as the remedy for perceived shortcomings in U.S. healthcare. Its supporters promised to save families $2,500 per year, contain costs, and make healthcare unicorns available for all. Yet, Democrats recently held the nation hostage for 45 days of shutdown demanding additional subsidies to rescue Obamacare from itself. But rescuing Obamacare is the opposite of rescuing ...