The shortcomings and failures of 8 years of Gov. Tom Wolf

January 26, 2023

During the past few weeks, publications across the commonwealth have chosen to view with rose-colored glasses the past eight years of Gov. Tom Wolf’s tenure in Pennsylvania. Most Pennsylvanians outside of the Harrisburg bubble remember it differently. Let’s start with Wolf’s handling of the budget. He likes to take credit for the current budget surplus. What he doesn’t disclose is that all annual budgets are approved by the General Assembly. Republicans held the line on Wolf’s budget proposals that would have inflated the budget and hiked taxes. For instance, he called for ...

Shapiro can learn from Wolf’s mistakes

January 21, 2023

Tom Wolf concludes his second, and final, term as Pennsylvania’s 47th governor this month. His eight years in office were a time of intense conflict with the legislature, bloated budgets, and no improvement in Pennsylvania’s economic outlook. Yet, several notable policy achievements occurred despite Wolf. And his legacy — mired in the abuse of power — leaves numerous lessons for his successor, Josh Shapiro. From day one, Wolf had a shaky relationship with Pennsylvania’s General Assembly. Right out of the gate, Wolf made the mistake of vetoing an entire state budget—leading ...

Who can we trust to be safe in these pandemic days?

January 21, 2023

Most of us have enjoyed some gatherings during the holiday season. We all wanted to put our worries behind us as we closed the book on 2022 and opened the fresh pages of 2023. However those good feelings didn’t last very long for all too many. Here in the east, for the past month, emergency rooms, clinics, urgent care centers, and doctors’ offices have been bustling with people wanting to define why they were miserable. Was it the flu, RSV, a cold, or COVID-19? Some friends traveled to spend the holidays with their grandchildren. They stayed at motels and ate at restaurants along ...

A congressional agenda for strength, safety, freedom and accountability

January 14, 2023

In November, I was re-elected to a third term to represent Pennsylvania’s new and expanded 9th Congressional District. “The new Pa-9th” my team and I will represent and work for continues to include Lebanon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, Columbia, Montour counties as well as parts of Berks and Luzerne and now also includes all of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties in their entirety, as well half of Lycoming County including Williamsport. The district is large, larger than the state of Connecticut, and my team and I are looking forward to thoroughly serving each ...

Protecting personal, public health

January 14, 2023

Prioritizing personal health is important but easily neglected. Even when we do not acknowledge it, we know that we often make decisions concerning our own health. Our actions like activity, diet, and sleep have a direct impact on our body. However, despite this understanding, we frequently overlook the importance of habitual daily behaviors. One of the largest issues as of late is the ignorance towards COVID-19 safety measures. Covid-19 sits in the past for most as an afterthought. Rapid advances in medical technology and vaccines are disregarded, and the pandemic has been polarized ...

Wars of the past — and the future of World War III

January 12, 2023

Make no mistake about it; we are currently fighting World War III. On the one side is Russia, Iran, and its more silent allies like China and the Arab world. On the other are the Allies; Ukraine, United States, Western Europe, and some of their supporters. In studying World War II, one cannot help but be impressed by the military leadership. Books like Team America, and many others about our generals both in the field and in Washington, are impressive. What made that greatest generation of military leaders so successful? Part of the answer lies in their experience from World War I. ...