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Signed, Sealed And ‘Maybe” Delivered, Too

Local Commentaries

Seeing things through is not merely a sign of maturity but also a mark of strong character. Unfortunately, we live in an age where a handshake and one’s word often mean nothing. There was a time when such a gesture was as binding as a legal contract—a bond or an agreement signifying that an obligation would be fulfilled and a job completed in its entirety. This carefree attitude of going wherever the wind takes you toward commitment spills over into many areas, especially concerning character. People have become lax in matching their words with their actions. Many profess to have ...

Daffodils, Omelets And Rosemary Clooney

Local Commentaries

Is it finally Spring? I think Mother Nature might have made up her mind. She has been sort of a brat about it: “Oh let’s give them a nice day that soars above 78 degrees but plunges them down to 19 overnight. And tomorrow, bright sunshine but keep it at a high of 36. That should keep them guessing.” We’ve been guessing alright. I don’t know whether to leave the house in a black down winter jacket, a cardigan sweater or a striped summer tee top. I still have both boots and flip-flops by the front door. I don’t understand how the daffodils and jonquils have put up with it. ...

Readers’ Forum

Letters To The Editor

Growing Plutocracy Has Risen To Power In America To the Readers’ Forum: We can thank the shortsightedness of the Roberts Court for the rise of a plutocracy in America that gave us a Donald Trump. On January 21, 2010, in Citizens United v. F.E.C., the Roberts Court opened the door for corporations (and other organizations) to pay for political ads made independently from candidate campaigns, by overturning the provision of McCain-Feingold law that barred such expenditures because of their corrupting, political influence on those who are supposed to represent us. In effect, the ...

Surprising Truths About America’s Tax History

Local Commentaries

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Taxes, for instance, have been changing and staying the same ever since Reagan and the 1980s: They’ve been heaven for corporations and the rich, purgatory or worse for everybody else. Now comes a groundbreaking book that looks back not just decades but centuries. It’s Vanessa A. Williamson’s The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History. The surprises never stop coming. Surprise No. 1, the Boston Tea Party. We’ve been brainwashed into believing that taxes were the cause. Not so; the Sons ...

Differing View On State Migration Comments

Local Commentaries

The March 28, 2026 commentary, from Assemblyman Molitor, citing statistics explaining his reasoning on people moving, from the State of New York is flawed. He is not telling the whole story. In selecting only statistics which support his view, he misleads his constituents. It appears the “statistics” quoted by Molitor, came directly from City Journal, which is a policy magazine and website published by The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a conservative think tank based in New York City. MediasBiasFactCheck.com gives City Journal a Right Bias rating, Right being ...

Getting Used To Getting Old

Local Commentaries

I think that you have to be in your 80’s before you get used to getting old. It takes a while. So, in that respect, I have arrived. Every morning, at around 6 a.m., when I limp into Hogan’s Hut to get the paper and the staff says: “Good morning, Mr. Kidder!”—I realize that my gait and gray hair have given me seniority. It is a part of getting used to being old. Of course, when I meet with old friends there is also that constant reminder. Someone is getting a new knee, someone else is getting used to their new hip, others are seeing an oncologist or orthopedist for ...