Column by Adrian Kuzminski, September 7, 2018 THE GOAL: ECONOMIC, POLITICAL FREEDOM Populism As American As Apple Pie Ever since the last presidential election the words “populist” and “populism” have been widely bandied about, mostly as pejorative terms. A populist politician, we often hear, is a demagogue who wins votes by inflaming the resentments and emotions of ordinary people at the expense of rational thought. Those who fall prey to populism are no more to be trusted, critics suggest, than…
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Columns - Page 115
Column by Mike Zagata, August 31, 2018 Rising To The Fly On Natural Gas One of the main reasons that local brook trout don’t get very big is that they tend to rise to and take the first dry fly that is drifted over them. During my professional career, I have avoided “rising to the fly,” but my fellow columnist, Adrian Kuzminski, in his Aug. 23-24, 2018 article, floated one that was just too tempting. He was commenting on my…
Column by Adrian Kuzminski, August 24, 2018 Let’s Take Control Of Our Energy Future Recently, nearly 100 people crowded the Oneonta Town Hall to respond to a report by Otsego Now head, Jody Zakrevsky, about the controversial gas decompression station proposed for Oneonta. The backlash was overwhelming. A long series of speakers unanimously condemned the project and demanded instead a full-scale effort to transition to renewables as soon as possible. As the speakers pointed out, a myriad of solutions exist…
Column by Mike Zagata for August 17, 2018 Exotic? Natural Gas As Common As … Manure It’s amazing that the natural gas opponents all talk about wanting to protect the environment by moving from natural gas to “renewables.” Is it that they are misinformed or have an agenda? It’s difficult to tell, but here’s what the science tells us. Natural gas, or methane, is naturally occurring. It is emitted from volcanoes, manure piles and humans. It is the cleanest burning…
Column by Adrian Kuzminski for August 10, 2018 … AND COUNTY CAN TAKE LEAD Natural Gas, No! Renewables, Yes! It’s recently been reported that Otsego Now, the economic development arm of Otsego county, is proposing a natural gas decompression station in Oneonta to help alleviate energy shortages that have plagued some businesses and institutions in the city. Otsego Now is applying for a $3 million grant to help facilitate the project, which is estimated to cost $17 million. Currently, SUNY…
Column by Mike Zagata, August 3, 2018 What Can Be Done About Deer Overpopulation? Most of us enjoy watching and/or hunting deer. They seem harmless enough – that is, until one runs in front of your shiny new car. Many people enjoy feeding deers with deer feeders you can learn more about at places similar to feedthatgame.com which is great if you have the population of deer under control. However, the 650,000 or so forest landowners in the state may…
Column by Adrian Kuzminski for July 27, 2018 On Playing The Race Card There was a time not so long ago when the ideal on racial issues was to be color-blind, presuming the equality of all. When that proved not to effectively address the underlying problem of racism, affirmative action became the order of the day. It played an important role in bringing minorities, especially blacks, out of the ghettos and into prominence in the professions, the media and middle-class…
Column by Mike Zagata for July 20, 2018 Face-To-Face Is Better. But If You Communicate Electronically… When thinking about the joys and pitfalls of communicating electronically, I’m reminded of these words from a John Denver song: “She sang to me in silence with her eyes”. How beautiful is that! Those of us who began communicating before the advent of e-mail and texting with our cell phones understand what’s behind those words. The “millennials” may, through no fault of their own,…
Column by Adrian Kuzminski for July 13, 2018 OPEN LETTER TO ANTONIO DELGADO Fight Faso Over Big Money In Politics Congratulations on winning the Democratic nomination for Congress in New York’s 19th Congressional District. You’ve got a tough fight ahead against a smooth and wily opponent. I’m one of many who would like to see Representative John Faso defeated. He is a bought and paid for ex-lobbyist with big hardcore far right support. The Mercer family, investors in Breitbart News…
Column by Mike Zagata, July 6, 2018 Is There No Way To Stop Child Separations? Most of us are the descendants of immigrants who legally entered the country via Ellis Island. As Americans, we should be proud that people want to come to our country. However, there are laws that control the rate of entry and processes to follow in adhering to those laws. Today we’re besieged with a media blitz focused on the separation of children from adults caught…