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A critical need for volunteer first responders

In communities across Pennsylvania and the entire nation, volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) serve as the backbone of local emergency response. In Sullivan County, PA. this vital service is no different. Our volunteer fire departments and EMS teams are essential in providing quick, life-saving assistance during fires, accidents, medical emergencies, and natural disasters. However, like many rural areas, Sullivan County faces a pressing challenge: a significant shortage of volunteer first responders. Nationally, the average percentage of people willing to ...

Lawmakers deserve credit for success against Green New Deal

Lawmakers took a significant step toward ending the Green New Deal. In the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), they started to dismantle the radical “green” subsidies embedded in the partisan 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a law that didn’t get a single Republican vote in the House or Senate. For Americans who care about affordable, reliable electricity, this is a big win. Lawmakers who made this happen, all of whom were Republicans, should be commended. The OBBBA eliminated many of the IRA’s energy and environmental subsidies that had been projected to cost over $1 ...

What really threatens Fed’s independence

Concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence have grown following repeated attacks by President Donald Trump, including this week’s decision to fire Fed Gov. Lisa Cook based on questionable allegations. But this debate is too narrowly focused on the president’s political pressure, ignoring a growing danger in our system. It is true that since the Treasury-Federal Reserve Accord of 1951, the Fed has had operational independence -- the ability to set interest rates day-to-day -- without any obligation to make government borrowing cheap. But it never had true economic ...

Shining bright in the world’s spotlight

To the locals, the two Little League World Series (LLWS) weeks in August can sometimes feel like a month, and in another instant it’s just that: an instant. The teams are here and gone, victorious and less victorious, filled with enough memories to fuel an 11- and 12-year-old’s dreams for a lifetime. But they aren’t the only ones making memories! Behind the scenes there are the employees of Little League who work year-round to make the event possible, the volunteers coaching and umpiring, working the fields, and helping at the complex during the series. There are people like my ...

SEPTA, Shapiro, House Democrats own budget stalemate

The Pennsylvania budget is, once again, late. Budget negotiations have come to a standstill over one issue: bailing out the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). So, who is derailing negotiations? Who is to blame for this political stalemate? Unfortunately, we have several culprits. First and foremost, the budget impasse started with Gov. Josh Shapiro. Last year, Shapiro diverted $153 million in federal highway funding to SEPTA, forcing millions of Pennsylvanians to subsidize trains and buses they’ll never ride. And though the governor claimed that this would ...

Israel — and the world — face a ‘Catch 22’

It is disquieting to sip one’s morning coffee with the constant roar of jet fighters overhead. Even the birds do not fly, apparently taking refuge from the roar overhead. The pigeons and the doves seek quiet under the eaves of rooftops and on windowsills until the noise quiets down. Where are the jets going? What is their mission? Are they training for the inevitable and frequent wars which Israel must fight for its survival? Are they on a mission against Iran, the Houthis in Yemen, or some other enemy who has sworn to murder all Jews and Christians in the Middle East? Later on ...