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Governor just another Democrat

Gov. Josh Shapiro is a “different Democrat,” or so claim national pundits. The governor has made unorthodox yet inconsequential statements condemning terrorism, rebuking antisemitism on college campuses, discouraging citizens from murdering corporate executives, and defending Punxsutawney Phil against PETA. And with his recent flirtation with national politics, Shapiro seems eager to ride this concocted brand all the way to the White House in 2028. But, as his state budget address this week demonstrates, Shapiro is far from different. In what might be the first campaign speech of ...

Straight into the fire and smoke

Imagine fighting your way into an inferno where flames, intense heat and choking smoke come at you as you try to rescue a person trapped inside a burning home. I cannot imagine. But I am forever grateful to those who do exactly that as they try to save lives and property in our communities. This column is meant to reflect the efforts of firefighters all over our county and region. They all make sacrifices. So do their families. Yet they do what they do while scraping for funds to keep their equipment and buildings operational. Folks, it’s been a very cold winter, a time ...

Governor’s budget plan is nothing new

“I love Groundhog Day,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro during the budget address. Of course, the governor meant the Pennsylvania tradition of Punxsutawney Phil and his prescient shadow. But judging by his proposal, Shapiro could have easily been talking about the 1993 movie of the same name. Like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, Shapiro seems trapped in a time loop, pushing the same out-of-control spending while failing to deliver his promises. The governor’s 2025 budget proposal — a whopping $51.5 billion in total — repeats many of the same tax-and-spend strategies from his prior ...

Why preventing high weeds, grass matters

I detest mowing my lawn. Of all the routine tasks associated with being an adult mowing lawn is certainly my least favorite. I will certainly push it near the boundaries of good taste and then succumb to community peer pressure when I hear my neighbors mowing theirs. It is certainly easy ...

A president and a shot in the foot

I was talking with an old friend, a self-described “lefty,” and he was not talking about using his left hand either. He was decrying President Trump and the horrors that he believes Trump will bring upon the United States and the world. I said to him: “Don’t worry about it. Trump will shoot himself in the foot before he gets his gun out of the holster.” I did not think I would be correct so quickly. President Trump has a historic opportunity remake America in some very positive ways, but he seems hellbent on going about it in a way which is not only obnoxious but, more ...

An energy mandate for Pennsylvania

The inauguration of President Donald Trump and the start of a new Congress mark a turning point for our nation’s energy future. With a renewed focus on “energy dominance,” Pennsylvania – the nation’s second-largest natural gas producer – is at the forefront of advancing this ambitious mandate. “The road to energy dominance goes through Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, a newly minted member of the powerful Energy and Natural Resources Committee, during a recent hearing. Voters across Pennsylvania and the nation sent a clear message at the polls in ...