Who Is Making America Great?

August 27, 2022

To The Reader’s Forum: Other than appointing federal judges committed to suppressing voting rights and civil rights, including women’s reproductive rights, and seeking to overturn an election while coordinating an attack on our Capitol, former President Trump’s singular legislative accomplishment while having GOP majorities in the Senate and House was passing the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017. The Act cut the corporate tax rate from about 35% to 21% and personal income taxes, especially for the wealthiest households with incomes over $308,000. The law had little real impact on ...

Chautauqua’s ‘Diversity Of Thought’ Is Gone

August 26, 2022

To The Reader’s Forum: Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour must not have attended Chautauqua Institution recently. A review of the speakers in recent years shows that his statement (WSJ editorial Aug. 13-14, 2022) that Chautauqua “hosts open discussion as well as championing diversity of thought, religious pluralism and free expression”, is not true any more. As a fourth generation Chautauqua attendee who has participated since the 1950’s, it is clear to me that Chautauqua allows only one perspective now. Due to the lack of diversity of expression, the independent ...

Goodness, Willingness To Learn Still Exist In Society

August 17, 2022

Goodness, Willingness To Learn Still Exist In Society To The Reader’s Forum: I have had many friends contact me this weekend to check on my well being. because I work at Chautauqua Institution. They have been kind, but I notice all of them have ended their messages with comments on how unredeemable people and the world have become ... that nowhere is safe anymore. What occurred Friday is very, very disheartening, I know. That said, I still know there is much more that is decent, connecting, and affirming happening in the world than not. The news plastered the terrible Rushdie ...

Sherman Mayor Responds To Theft Charges

August 10, 2022

Sherman Mayor Responds To Theft Charges To The Reader’s Forum: Many small municipalities operated as islands unto themselves, disregarding regulations, and state agency oversight. It is unfortunate the damage of a past village employee continues because of the lack of internal controls and supervision of those who are no longer associated with the Village Board. An employee who worked for the village for approximately ten years, over six years in the past. This was during the time when dissolution was considered, that was particularly the time when the theft under the chaos was ...

Jan. 6 Hearings Are Conclusive

August 5, 2022

To The Reader’s Forum: The January 6 (J6) Congressional Committee has completed its first round of public hearings. While the hearings were intended for the full public, I don’t know how many people were paying attention. Be that as it may, the J6 Committee put together words from Trump administration officials, Capitol police testimony and video of the J6 attack on the US Capitol. The conclusion from just those hearings is that the attack was planned based upon the false allegation that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen”. There have also been subsequent reports that ...

Murals On Retaining Walls Would Be Good Addition To Chadakoin Riverwalk

July 30, 2022

To The Reader’s Forum: I read with interest your recent article about the restoration of the Chadakoin River through the efforts of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservatory and Twan Leenders. I think the Riverwalk would be even more beautiful if, in addition to all the plans outlined in the article, the retaining walls on the far side of the river could be painted with murals depicting nature scenes such as native plants and wildlife. Jamestown