Many people are finding it harder to make ends meet. Incomes are not rising for a lot of the population, but prices are climbing. Wallets feel emptier. That reality makes it especially hard for us to see the very wealthy in government finding ways to put more of our money in their pockets. The corruption and grift has gotten so blatant that there isn't really any effort to hide it any more.  There are billions of dollars in oil revenue from Venezuela that Treasury Secretary Bessent says isn’t in the Treasury. He also says he doesn’t know where it is or what’s being done with it. Somebody knows, but nobody says.  Imported meat scraps not good enough to be sold on its own will be added to ground beef and sold to us. We’re not even told where it’s coming from. Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins says she doesn’t know, either.  Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, has adjourned Congress early, to avoid an important vote, after working just seven days si...

  This Labor Day brings lots of end-of-summer vacation activity to Seneca County. It is also a time to reflect on all the important work that happens here every day, and whether the people doing it are getting a fair shake.  Part of getting a fair shake is adequate health insurance for one's family. We need a representative in Congress who will support programs that provide health insurance so that people can choose to work for the myriad Seneca County employers who can't run health insurance themselves. That security is good for local business and residents who work. Part of getting a fair shake is a fair wage. The Federal government has been pushing so-called "right to work" laws, which are actually "right to underpay workers" laws. We need a representative in Congress who will not vote to enable laws that hurt constituents in Seneca County.  Respect for hard work matters to everyone doing it. Some of our leaders think that hard workers are suckers. We don...