Breaking News

Letters

Presidential?

George Washington reluctantly accepted the will of the people who wanted him to be President. Alexander Hamilton, who agreed with him on very little, asked him to take a second term in those days of uncertainty. Washington believed civil authority was superior to military power. He took office in a brown woolen suit, not as General Washington in uniform, but as a civilian. Thomas Jefferson hated confrontation so much that he acted differently with the varying personalities he had to confront. Washington, Madison, Hamilton, Burr each saw a different president in Jefferson’s office. ...

Audit important

Watchdog? I can tell you, from 2016 to 2019 the commissioner team of McKernan, Mussare and Mirabito reviewed EVERY invoice each week prior to any approval. Concern over the number of full-time associates is not new. In 2018 or 2019 Commissioner Mirabito and I voted to reduce our workforce from 550 to 500 through attrition. Budget. It must be hard to draft a budget while the 2024 audit was not complete! I went to the controller’s office in early December of 2024 and 2025 to gather information to get a better understanding of the proposed budget. Both years, the county audits of 2023 ...

An insult to today’s seniors

A recent op-ed column, “The quiet engine behind youth’s malaise,” claims that America’s fiscal system showers “wealthy seniors” with vast, undeserved benefits at the direct expense of younger generations. It insists the system isn’t skewed toward the rich over ordinary people, but toward seniors over the young. That argument isn’t just flimsy, it’s built on conjecture, distortion, and a startling disregard for basic facts. It’s an insult to today’s seniors. The piece opens with an outrageous assertion that Medicare pays for “golf balls, greens fees, social club ...

A toast to a senator’s health

We’ve now watched Sen. John Fetterman recover his health twice. First, he recovered his personal cerebral health from a stroke. And now he’s recovered his political mental health from his party. As a result, Democrat Fetterman is now working openly on the national stage for the well being of America like all Democrats once did. In contrast, what now passes as Democrats are lock-stepped politicos ranting against America while working to sicken, disease, paralyze, and destroy the United States. The latest new leader of this “democratic” effort is the communist Mamdani. In the name ...

More joy in serving

Thank you for printing the “Community and cooperation during the holidays” piece by Jamie Flick on December 24. He surveyed our community, finding and noting many local organizations that bring practical and loving assistance to people in need. He ends his piece acknowledging the benefits of quelling divisions and seeking wise solutions in our national discourse and political decisions. Many problems in our local community; yet, Mr. Flick highlights some examples where we shine. Don’t you find pleasure in recalling the experience of loving or being loved as more satisfying than ...

The future in sight

In a recent front page news article, the county landfill was featured in depth. After reading and re-reading the lengthy account, I was somewhat confused. Is there a need to seek more waste to increase revenue? On the average, individuals living in America produce five pounds of waste per day. That’s each of us! (zerowaste.com).   It’s time to rethink the way we consume, reduce, reuse and restore. While a visit to the landfill (which I have participated with a group tour) would give an appreciation for the necessary processes, especially the single stream, we need to more ...