Breaking News

Other Commentaries

Taking advantage of John Fetterman

To hear the Republicans talk, the Democrats are putting poor ill John Fetterman through the ringer by “making” him run for election when he should be home tending the garden. John Fetterman’s wife, the Republicans would have you believe, is a scheming woman who seeks to elevate her husband into a position of power, when he cannot even speak a coherent sentence in a short debate with his opponent. There is no doubt that the Democrats have tried to capitalize on Fetterman’s disability, by suggesting that those who have suffered debilitating physical conditions need representation ...

Decisions have consequences

An inescapable fact of life is that our decisions have consequences. In America, this truism is born out every time we elect our governmental leaders. The decisions we have made by casting our sacred vote have consequences. With respect to the upcoming Nov. 8 election, while many across the county, state and country have already cast their vote by mail-in ballot, the majority of Americans will be going to the polls this Tuesday to finalize their decision on which candidates to support. On the national level, provided the results were accurate, on Nov. 3, 2020 a majority of voters ...

Protecting vulnerable family members this holiday season

As someone who has a high-risk grandparent, I am cautious about where I go and who I associate with in the days preceding a visit. To ensure that I am negative, I always keep a supply of rapid at-home tests on hand. In the last two years, I’ve become acutely aware of environments that are unsuitable for a high-risk relative. My high-risk grandparent once lived with me, which resulted in the development of a cautious sixth sense. As the holiday season approaches and we plan gatherings, keep your high-risk family members in mind. We show our loved ones we care in many ways, especially ...

Cooperation’s role in economics

I was recently reminded of a profound truth about the free market and the prices that sit at its center. Unfortunately, this truth is often overlooked by both critics of the market economy and by economists like myself. This simple truth is that the price system works thanks to and only because of a set of institutions that promote cooperation among us. As an economist, I’m accustomed to making the case that free markets, although imperfect, are a better alternative than government intervention. It goes something like this: The free market’s price system, along with competition ...

COVID-19 and Pennsylvania’s tradition of deer hunting

Many of you, like me, look forward to this time of year because we are in the middle of “Hunting Season.” As I write this article, the early inline muzzleloader season for deer is going on, along with archery, and the “rut” has started. And as strange as it may seem to some, in many of our homes it is a time to be with family and friends and to start thinking about the upcoming holidays and deer hunting. Hunting in our area is so much more than harvesting game. Although the thrill of the trophy buck never quite fades and you never forget the “one that got away,” there is so ...

A post-COVID recovery

A friend of mine once described COVID as the gift that keeps on giving. In other words, it can have endless side effects, repercussions, and various annoyances that remind us of when we were initially infected. She was right, and probably more than she ever wanted to be. Some call it “Long COVID,” others call it “COVID Long Haulers.” It affects up to 30% of people who have had COVID. For a long time, people didn’t understand what was happening to them. Why are they still unable to smell or taste for months after getting over the virus? Why is there a non-stop tingling in ...