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Americans need to understand tariffs

Let’s try to understand what President Trump’s new tariffs are, what they mean, who will pay for them. Also their impact on the American economy, on individual U.S. citizens, and America’s relations with the rest of the world. Tariffs used to be called “import duties.” They are paid, not by the nation that exports, but by the nation that imports. They are a tax, now between 10 and 60%, that American companies, large and small, must pay whenever they buy something from abroad. A great many American companies, we know from reading the labels, have their products manufactured ...

When condemned buildings aren’t secured, safety put at risk

About two weeks ago, while I was addressing a burning complaint, I discovered an abandoned house that I had previously never noticed. It appeared empty and unkempt…sort of dilapidated. The front and side doors were double..triple locked with screws, boards and padlocks. Walking around the side of house, I could see that the property had placards on it from the codes department: Condemned. When I reached the rear of the house, I was surprised to see the rear door wide open. “Oh wow…it’s unsecured?!?” Concerned about this discovery, I stepped through the door and into the rear of ...

Penn State’s faculty should be wary

Higher education’s future seems bleak. The national decline in enrollment has forced countless colleges and universities to tighten belts and make hard choices. Penn State — where enrollment is down 30% since 2010 —recently announced plans to close several of its 20 campuses across the commonwealth. Naturally, Penn State faculty feel vulnerable. But their desperation may push them into the wrong hands. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the nation’s most powerful government unions, is in the early stage of “organizing” these faculty members. The ...

Governor is ignoring students trying to escape failing schools

According to the Nation’s Report Card, nearly 70% of Pennsylvania’s eighth-graders can’t read or do math at grade level. Results are worse in Philadelphia, where 95% of Black eighth-graders aren’t proficient at math, and 89% can’t read at grade level. Moreover, 90% of Hispanic eighth-graders aren’t meeting achievement levels. Gov. Josh Shapiro has abandoned these kids. The declining performance in public schools has occurred despite record increases in public school funding, including more than $4 billion in increases in state taxpayer funding in the last four years ...

Invest in schools — not bureaucracy

If an investment yields stagnant or negative returns despite increased funding, the rational thing to do is back off. This logic rarely applies in government, but we’re in a unique moment. The U.S. Department of Education -- which has long exemplified the sunk-cost fallacy with past investments motivating continued spending -- may face a reckoning as the Trump administration pushes to devolve education back to the states. First, let’s be clear: The department traditionally funds only 8% to 10% of K-12 education, and new Secretary of Education Linda McMahon seems rightly concerned ...

The future of Social Security — or not

Since Social Security was signed into law on Aug. 14, 1935 there has never been a missed payment. But now as the third Wednesday of the month draws near, I’m very apprehensive about going into my bank account to see if the deposit is there. I have several bills that are automatically withdrawn from my account and if my Social Security money isn’t there, I will not just be overdrawn, I will be in serious trouble. Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley warned in a recent issue of Fortune magazine, “Ultimately, you’re going to see the [social security] system ...