Breaking News

Other Commentaries

‘Industrial policy’ concept just bad economics

American industry has been getting a lot of hands-on direction from Democrats and Republicans for quite some time now. Every few years, someone looks at the underwhelming results of this economic maneuvering and insists that real “industrial policy” has never been tried. The truth is that the Left’s call for a “mission-oriented” state and the right’s yearning for a nationalist industrial revival may sound different, but they share the same conceit: that their own intentions can finally succeed where decades of intervention have failed. The latest person to revive this ...

Who cares about a federal shutdown?

A lot of Democrats are upset with the eight Democratic senators who voted to re-open the government. They believe they “caved” on health insurance premium assistance for the needy. But let’s face it. Congressional Republicans, not to mention Trump, would never have gone along with healthcare premium assistance. The only thing they want to do with the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also called “Obamacare”) is repeal it. Unfortunately they have nothing with which to replace it. Republicans have proven that they simply do not care about the needy. They have consistently voted against ...

When does the punishment fit the crime?

Former Williamsport Finance Director and General Manager of the bus and transit service, William E. Nichols, has been punished. On May 5, 2025, William “Bill” Nichols, Jr., pleaded guilty to one felony count of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, and one ...

Unions spend big on state politics

Pennsylvania’s judicial-retention election was the biggest in the commonwealth’s history. This seemingly innocuous off-year election drew at least $20 million—much of which came from outside the state—and garnered significant national attention, including statements by President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama. But of all the biggest influences in this election, few were as prominent as labor unions. Among the top spenders was Pennsylvanians for Judicial Fairness (PJF). This Super PAC reported the largest number of independent expenditures, raising about $5 ...

Reflections on solitude and a future ‘on my own’

Throughout his life, Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler kept a journal. His first entry dates from March 19, 1879, when he was just two months shy of turning 18. He wrote his last entry on October 19, 1931, two days before he died. I own all of his 16,407 entries. That’s ten volumes of about 400 pages each and a font size so small you’ll need reading glasses. Like Schnitzler, I also keep a journal. In fact, my younger self was a most avid writer. While Schnitzler’s journal is a record of his daily encounters, meticulously listing the people he socialized with, my journal is the ...

Pennsylvania’s government standing in its own way on broadband

Pennsylvania is finally getting the hundreds of millions of dollars it needs to bring high-speed internet to rural communities. This is our chance to connect homes, schools, farms and small businesses that have been left behind. But unless we fix a problem rooted in Pennsylvania’s ...