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Letters To The Editor

Volunteer Firefighters Should Get Tax Breaks

To The Reader’s Forum: On April 10, we attended a Town of Ellicott board meeting. We were specifically concerned about a proposal calling for the elimination of a town justice position. Although we did not speak at the meeting, we are against the proposed elimination. Many people attended the meeting and many people spoke against cutting a justice position. All speakers voiced interesting and well thought opinions. All were very orderly. The opinions were all in opposition to the town board’s decision to cut a town justice position and we\\\’re quite sure the town board ...

New York Is Tax Hell

To The Reader’s Forum: I can’t think of any other state that is more beautiful than New York State. You can do just about anything you want here in terms of recreation. The four seasons allow us to enjoy the beauty of our state and provide us with just about every opportunity to do so. However, can you afford to live here? New York State is ranked number one for overall tax burden and for individual income tax burden. Businesses are leaving in record numbers as a result. No wonder the state is labeled tax hell. What a shame. Why would anyone want to relocate here. Census ...

JLDC Loans Are Ethically Wrong

To The Reader’s Forum: What is going on at the JLDC is ethically wrong and taxpayers should be paying attention. The JLDC is an opaque entity in Jamestown that gives out millions and millions of dollars in taxpayer money. It is made up of nine members. Some are elected officials, some are dubious community members. The JLDC is not transparent as Tony Dolce would tell you. The press has had to FOIL information from the JLDC about this matter because the JLDC has not made it available to the public. Basic information, like how much they are giving out and who is getting it. It should ...

Guns Are The Tool Of American Carnage

To The Reader’s Forum: So, as of today, March 28, 2023, there have been, per at least one report, over 130 “mass shootings” in America this calendar year! Three children and three adults were gunned down yesterday at a private school in Nashville, TN. One MAGA/GOP Congressperson, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, said, “My prayers are with the beautiful children whose lives have been lost, their families & the first responders who are dealing with this tragedy in Nashville!” At least four questions come quickly to mind - 1) Does “God” hate children since gun violence is ...

Recommendations For The Future Lake Efforts

To The Reader’s Forum: The recent decision to disband the Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency has stimulated renewed discussion in the community about how to proceed regarding lake management direction and funding. One suggestion has already been offered to the legislature. We have consulted with other state and local organizations and elected officials. We would like to add our voice to the public discourse on this critical subject. We believe that any future program will be most successful if it features collaborative consensus-building with no single ...

Don’t Jump On ‘Antiwoke’ Bandwagon.

To The Reader’s Forum: People on the right-wing of society, usually Republicans, use the word “woke” as, more or less, a derogatory word. An example is from Florida Gov. DeSantis who says Florida “is where ‘woke’ goes to die.” So, what does “woke” mean? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “woke” as “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” The questions you ought to ask yourself are, “Do you really believe that becoming aware of, and attentive to important facts and issues is bad ...