McCain made us all proud

Editor, OBSERVER:

I wonder if John McCain, or his family, or those who voted for him, or those who admired something about him, understood what his most important accomplishment was in his life. It is not that he was a senator. It was not that he almost became president. It was not that he suffered and endured five years in a Hanoi prison of wear camp. It is this.

When a woman on the 2008 presidential campaign trail noted she had “read about (President Obama)” and noted her distrust of Obama because he was an “Arab,” McCain had a moment when he could have been Trump. He could have agreed with her, said that Obama was indeed not an American but a foreigner who had no right to be president.

He could have agreed with her that Obama was not to be trusted because he had a foreign name that suggested he was Muslim. He could have garnered points with constituents spouting racist conspiracies about his opponent and perhaps gained more supporters who were similarly racist believers in conspiracy theories.

Instead he said, “No. ma’m. He’s a decent family man (and) citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what the campaign’s all about. He’s not (an Arab).”

McCain was a true American. He believed an ideal, not a lie, would lead him to success. He believed in the democratic process, not corruption. He was not a selfish narcissist who would let the country burn to the ground in divisive hatred rather than not get his way. He was a Republican but not so Republican that he forgot he had to coexist with Democrats.

McCain was a true American. Let’s all try to be more like John McCain.

RIP, John McCain.

DIANE ANDRASIK,

Dunkirk

Boardwalk rent hikes unfair

Editor, OBSERVER:

During one of my visits to the Boardwalk by the Dunkirk pier, I was disappointed to hear my favorite store was closing. This merchant was in the business of selling beverages only — the only store of its kind at the Boardwalk.

When I asked why he was closing he said it was the rent. His rent was going up $60 more a month while other merchants with the same square footage were only being raised $10 more a month.

He couldn’t understand how the rent increases were established and when he asked he was not given a good answer. He was told this is the way it is done. He could either pay or leave.

Really? This is how Dunkirk treats a successful businessman?

Who in control of these stores is trying to make room for a friend? Will the next person who leases this spot be required to pay the rent the previous occupant was being asked to pay with the $60 increase? It’s time to publish the rent amounts from year to year and the amount being asked prior to someone saying enough is enough, then the amount it is leased out for.

There needs to be consistency and fairness.

SUSAN LIS,

Dunkirk

Trump’s spin hurts America

Editor, OBSERVER:

I could not disagree more with the recent commentary “State in losing battle with Cuomo” (Sept. 3) by Dunkirk resident Richard Makuch.

His observations poison the very air we breathe with a tiresome rehash of Fox News venom regurgitated from the ravings of propagandists bought and sold before they even cash their paychecks.

His talking points touting President Trump’s achievements for American citizens, like “a higher employment rate” alongside a useless photo-op with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, smack of Dorothy’s return to Kansas after meeting the Wizard of Oz.

One shining example of his delusion is the simple fact that Kim’s nuclear program is indisputably alive and well. This deliberate obfuscation and avoidance of plain facts is the religion of Trump’s supporters and spells doom for all who follow its lunatic commandments.

We’re not in Kansas anymore. We’ve lost our moral compass. We need Cuomo’s policies as much as we need oxygen. The only way to make America great again is to deal with reality and acknowledge how off course our country really is.

Trump is no Wizard, not even a good fake-leader. He may have many Americans feeling good for now, but when he?s through, like those who have consumed the Grapes of Wrath, most Americans’ heads will spin at the embarrassment of the criminal enabling that they have allowed to take place.

Mr. Makuch and his friends can click their heels as many times as they want, but when they come to their senses, they won’t like the “home” they return to.

GEORGE DALZELL,

Van Buren