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Letters To The Editor

Cuomo’s Commitment To Wind Energy Could Blow Industry Out Of New York

To The Reader’s Forum: A recent letter from a National Fuel analyst to NY industrial consumers of natural gas suggests that its customers have two options: ¯ Get out of New York state while you can. ¯ Stay and fight Governor Cuomo’s new Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). In the letter, National Fuel says that the legislation could “effectively eliminate the use of natural gas in New York by 2050,” adding, “renewables alone cannot now or in the future reliably meet the demand to heat homes, fuel businesses, and maintain and grow the state’s ...

Reader Comments On Hairstyle Law

To The Reader’s Forum: I have to laugh at the shallowness of the criticism I received for my objections to the Cuomo hairstyle law. I do not contend there should be all white work places nor do I ask why that is socially unacceptable if all black or all Muslim work places are not. I am saying employers should have the liberty to decide for themselves, not you or Governor Cuomo or anyone else. It should be an individual, not a social or collective decision. The left believes it has such superior wisdom, knowledge, and virtue that it is entitled to make these decisions for us ...

Busti Supervisor: The Truth Matters

To The Reader’s Forum: Busti residents recently received a mailing from my opponent for town supervisor stating that town taxes have increased during my time as Busti town supervisor. The numbers used in the mailing are misleading because they include taxes necessary for special districts for lighting, fire district needs and services related to sewer and water in the town. The reason those special district taxes are separated from the total townwide budget is because not everyone in the town pays for all of the 19 special taxing districts. Some residents may pay into one or ...

Reader Says The ‘Show’ Has Finally Begun

To The Reader’s Forum: Well, well, well — seems like the chickens have come home to roost. Let’s see, N.Y. has shut down the Trump Foundation, and is about to get its hands on Trump’s financial statements. Meanwhile, Congressional committees are subpoenaing tax returns. Now it appears that Rudy Giuliani might be charged with a crime, and Mike Pompeo is in danger of impeachment. Things are getting very interesting. It puts one in mind of Edgar Allen Poe’s quote: “The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine.” So, pull up a chair, grab some ...

Business Community Calls On Legislature To Keep Tax Rate Flat

To The Reader’s Forum: County government has made an effort to move the needle on the tax rate in Chautauqua County over the past several years. In 2015, the tax rate was $9.149 per thousand and moved down to a rate of $8.375 per thousand in 2019. We commend our county leaders and department heads for their efforts to lower the rate. The Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Association believe that lowering property taxes encourages private investment and economic growth. We call on the legislature to approve a final 2020 budget that keeps the tax rate flat. Reducing the tax ...

What Qualifies A ‘Thing Of Value’?

To The Reader’s Forum: Under Section 30121 of Title 52 of the U.S. Code, it is unlawful for a “person to solicit (from a foreign national a thing of value) . . . in connection with a Federal . . . election.” Whether President Trump violated this election law by imploring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call to investigate presidential hopeful Joe Biden, and his son, for alleged wrongdoing in 2015 may turn on three little words: a ”thing of value.” In its review of the call, the Justice Department concluded that the solicited information could not be ...