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What made America strong didn’t come from Washington

Local Commentaries

As Americans celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, it’s worth remembering that what made America strong didn’t come from Washington. It came from Americans. Long before Washington debated the size and scope of government, citizens were building churches, charities, civic organizations, schools, hospitals and philanthropic institutions that strengthened communities from the ground up. They saw needs, organized their neighbors, raised private support and built institutions that often outlasted governments. That tradition didn’t simply complement government; it became one of ...

Bean counters often on short end of municipal payroll

Editor's Corner

Since a much-needed control board is not part of the current equation, the city of Dunkirk is banking on a new comptroller to better steer the fiscal condition for the municipality. In taking the newly created position this month, Tracy Smith-Dengler will be compensated $140,000 per year. With the entity being strapped for cash, that figure has ruffled some feathers. Before the salary was made public, Common Council member Gary Frederickson from the Third Ward was the lone no vote on the position after he couldn’t get a response on the salary. “It seemed that nobody in this ...

Other voices: President should reevaluate pulling Secret Service details

In Our Opinion

President Trump is taking Iran’s threats to assassinate him seriously, as well he should. He reportedly switched Air Force One from the new Qatar version on his return from the recent NATO summit on the advice of the Secret Service. How about a little concern, then, about Iran’s threats to kill his former national security adviser, John Bolton? The White House hasn’t confirmed the Air Force One switch, but it hasn’t denied the story either. Notably, the Justice Department has subpoenaed New York Times writers who reported the story to disclose their sources. That’s harassment ...

Conservatives, liberals see human nature differently

Local Commentaries

CHAUTAUQUA—A law professor has articulated a principle infrequently heard from higher-education faculty. Why infrequently? Because many colleges and universities hire few non-liberals. The law professor is George Washington University’s Jonathan Turley, a frequent contributor to broadcast-television and cable-television news programs. Speaking to Advocates for Balance at Chautauqua, or ABC, on July 13, Turley said rights came not from government but from God. That’s framed differently than, yet on the same side of the philosophical spectrum as, what you, faithful reader of ...

State’s data center moratorium is reasonable - for now

In Our Opinion

It’s reasonable to see Gov. Kathy Hochul’s one-year moratorium on data centers as a reasonable delay in order to develop appropriate protections and guidelines in state law to govern data centers. What the governor has done is no different legally than what local towns and villages have been doing over the past year by enacting - and in some cases extending - moratoriums on wind and solar projects and on battery energy storage systems. It’s reasonable to see data centers as an emerging issue that requires a pause to manage the development appropriately. Our concern is that ...

State should make housing demolitions a priority, too

In Our Opinion

Jamestown officials are moving fairly expeditiously through housing demolitions so far this year. And that’s a good thing, but as we noted a couple of weeks ago something has to change in the way housing demolitions are funded as the sources of money fueling this binge of demolitions is dwindling. It’s worth noting, though, that even if money were no object, the state does the city no favors with voluminous regulations that unnecessarily drag the demolition process out and drive up the cost of demolitions. It's amazing what can happen when the power of government gets behind ...