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What Happened To The Grand Old Party?

It wasn’t that long ago that the Grand Old Party (GOP) was advocating for free trade and the elimination of tariffs and trade restrictions. The party also advocated for a bi-partisan foreign policy encouraging strong relationships with our allies through alliances like NATO in order to contain Russian aggression. Now all that seems to be gone. “We are the great United States, we are bigger and smarter than any other nation, and we will tell the world what to do. International leaders and members of military alliances which we helped create need to understand that we are now the ...

Nuclear Industry Over-Promises And Fails To Deliver

Microsoft recently signed an agreement with Constellation Energy to restart the 50-year-old Unit 1 nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island. Microsoft would be the only customer, buying all the electricity to power their data centers. Three Mile Island Unit 2 was the one that melted down in 1979, Unit 1 was shut down in 2019 because the electricity produced was too expensive and the plant not profitable. Constellation estimates it will cost $1.6 billion to restart the plant. They are asking you, the US Taxpayer, for a $1.6 billion loan guarantee since there is a lot of risk in doing ...

Sweden’s Lessons For America

About six years ago, economist Johan Norberg produced a documentary about Sweden’s recent economic transformations entitled “Sweden: Lessons for America.” The program is very informative as well as entertaining, and will challenge what you thought you knew. You can still catch it on YouTube (highly recommended). Sweden was one of the poorest countries in the world prior to 1850 when many fled to avoid the grinding poverty. (The first Swedes came to Jamestown in 1849; immigration locally continued through the World War 1era.) Later, Sweden adopted free markets to become one of ...

Langworthy Complicit In Violating Constitutional And Democratic Norms

The Post-Journal’s recent column, “Trump’s Return, Agenda Energizes Langworthy” is an example of normalizing—“sane washing”—the actions of the Trump administration. It opens with an account of Rep. Langworthy’s visit to Fredonia’s revitalized White Inn, then abruptly pivots to the Trump administration’s “whirlwind” early days, implying an unsubstantiated connection between the Inn’s success story and the administration’s actions. The article says, “It is a bit like the second chance voters gave President Donald Trump last November,” but claims that ...

Old Fashioned Winters Have Way More Snow Than This

To be sure, this winter has blessed—or cursed, depending on your perspective—us with more snow than several recent winters. Yet this winter has been no old-fashioned winter. Old-fashioned winters have way more snow than this. ♦♦♦ An old-fashioned winter in Western New York is one in which Mayville’s public tally of snowfall runs into the multiple hundreds of inches. An old-fashioned winter in Western New York is one in which—even in some places less susceptible to snow—storms dropping a foot of the white stuff are at least weekly events. An old-fashioned ...

Resources Available To Better Understand Medicare

Question: I am getting close to my 65th birthday, and wanted to understand Medicare. Could you direct me to some useful resources to begin this learning process? Answer: Turning 65 is one of those significant birthdays that we have during our lifetime. What you need for insurance before and after 65 can be very different. The rules are consistent for every individual, but how they impact your decision is unique. The answer is different for each individual. There are some very useful resources out there to help you learn about Medicare. The first resource I will give you is ...