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General Welfare ‘Excuse’ Contributes To U.S. Debt

Over the past 10 months we have been treated to entertaining commentary from the Woke Mob. They are apoplectic because the source of all their virtue signaling — the bottomless pit of their government programs — has been threatened by the “fascist terror” in the White House. Unable to present a coherent argument against the Administration’s anti-waste policies, the Woke Mob resorts to the same old saw – that “Trump has no compassion.” This begs the question: Compassion for whom? Apparently the Woke Mob measures compassion by how hard they squeeze taxpayers and ...

Time To Put The Brakes On AI

When 50 fifty state attorneys general warn that Artificial Intelligence is a danger -- we should take notice. The areas of concern expressed by attorneys general include AI generated data related to law enforcement, healthcare, employment, educational content, election results, sexual predation of children, and digital surveillance. The federal government (in The Big Bill) planned to suspend AI regulation prompting state attorneys general to object in a letter to the federal government asking for states’ right to regulate AI. Subsequently federal deregulation was not included ...

Partisan Politics Blocks Honest Debate

CHAUTAUQUA—Did you read the page-one story about local elections in last weekend’s edition of this newspaper? If you didn’t, pull it out of your pile of recyclables, because it’s well done. The bottom line today is that this episode in state government was a missed opportunity to engage in honest, thoughtful debate about an issue that was worthy of honest, thoughtful debate. What stood in the way of honest, thoughtful debate? Yes, you guessed it: Partisan politics. ♦♦♦ If you follow local politics, you know that many county- and local-government elections are ...

A Few Things Worth Doing Before We Forget How

Maybe we should all start carrying a handkerchief again — not that I do, but I like the idea of something soft and real in a world that isn’t. Something you’d fold, wash, and keep. A reminder that care used to mean something, and could again. Here are a few other things we might try, while there’s still time to remember what being human feels like. Write thank-you notes. With a pen. On paper. Stamp and mail them. The words don’t have to be perfect — the act itself is what matters. It’s a small rebellion against the cold speed of the text message. Eat carrots. Real ...

Excuse Me Doc, Can I Ask You A Few Questions?

In our walks through our lives, we find many people who have an itch to find out what we are thinking at certain moments or during certain events. Many of those people asking those questions, or taking those photos, that sometimes we’d rather not be photographed during these moments or events, are doing their jobs as all media reporters, or bloggers, or to make money on their side of the street through any means they use (paparazzi, investigative online reporters, blog reporters, webcasters, livestreams, streaming news channels, and the old-fashioned news reporters and writers, ...

The Truth Of The Quiet Golden Years

I always envisioned my retirement as the Golden Years. I somehow pictured days of sleeping in, reading after lunch, and playing tennis or an occasional bridge game. Oh – and not having too many obligations. I wanted to stop jumping through other people’s hoops. Fuggedaboudit. Besides, my tennis game left with the purchase of my new knees. And reading for pleasure during daytime hours still clobbers me with guilt. Maybe I’ll stick around long enough to outlive that. Of course, I never imagined having a computer and the possibility of falling down the internet rabbit hole each ...