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A Few Things Worth Doing Before We Forget How

Local Commentaries

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 ...

What Could Be Worse Than Kings?

Local Commentaries

Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman told his party to stop with the Nazi and fascist rhetoric. That clearly went out the window at the recent “No Kings” protest. In Jamestown alone, signs labeling the president and MAGA as Nazis and fascists could be spotted everywhere you looked as in “Super callous fascist, racist, sexist, Nazi POTUS.” So much for Fetterman’s admonition. It’s no surprise to hear rumblings among Democrats to oust him in the next primary. The Nazi signs were outdone by vulgarities and obscenities lacing other signs. People carrying around ...

Good Progress Being Made On The Bridge

Local Commentaries

Though we have had little rain this fall, the good weather has been helpful to those reconstructing the Chautauqua Lake Bridge. As you head east over the lake from the Stow side on I-86, you can see the open, raw girders where a substantial amount of concrete decking has been removed. There has also been a lot of new concrete decking laid—especially on the Bemus side. There had been some concern about the potential movement of steel as the weight of the old concrete was removed. There is always some movement when this is done as there is some flex in all steel. In crossing the ...

The Federal Estate Tax is Nearly Dead

Local Commentaries

For those who have a gut feeling that the richest Americans are getting richer while the rest of us are getting poorer or just treading water, the evidence is that they are right. Not since the start of the modern Federal Estate Tax in 1916, has there been a better time to be wealthy in America. Early in the 20th Century our country turned to the Federal Estate Tax to limit the accumulation of great wealth by a handful of families. Upon the death of a wealthy person a portion of the wealth would be paid to our Federal government as an Estate Tax, thereby limiting the amount of wealth ...

The Truth Of The Quiet Golden Years

Local Commentaries

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 ...

If We Can Shop Local, We Should Vote Local

Letters To The Editor

To The Reader’s Forum: We’ve heard the slogan “shop local”. Spending our money close to home grows our local economy. Well, I’m encouraging you to “vote local.” While the national elections get a lot of media attention and bring out a lot of voters, the off-year elections usually see very few voters. Local elections give us a chance to have a bigger say in who will be serving us in the next term because each vote is a piece of a smaller “pie”. Voting is our chance to influence how our government works for Chautauqua County. If you don’t vote, do you really have ...