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Never bet against workers

On Labor Day we honor the achievements of America’s workers, and in 2022 we have a historic victory to celebrate. Our nation’s working people have come all the way back from the depths of a global pandemic, regaining every job lost and more. This milestone seemed impossible to reach on Labor Day two years ago. The pandemic was out of control. Millions of Americans were out of work, and economic forecasters said unemployment could remain elevated for years to come. Some commentators even lost faith in our national work ethic. Even today, some still say that Americans “don’t ...

We’re thankful for Williamsport’s hospitality

On August 17, 2022, Williamsport opened their arms as thousands of players and fans descended on their community for the Little League World Series. A small and tight-knit community of just a little over 27,000 people, you manage to put on the greatest baseball event in all of America, year after year. And while we as fans focused on our players and their wins, the residents of Williamsport worked tirelessly to provide us with the greatest hospitality. Coming from Hawaii, I never thought I would ever experience the Aloha Spirit in any other community but my own. However, Williamsport ...

DC gives us ‘more’ — we want ‘better’

Congress’ annual August recess is a good time to think about the big picture. Most Americans want government reformed for the better. We notice its many breakdowns, dysfunctions and failures to deliver on promises. Yet politicians of both parties usually only talk about more new programs, more spending and more regulations. Will either party listen, or will they continue down their destructive and unpopular path? In case some of them are listening, I have a few ideas. Paul Light, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, writes that while a small majority of Americans prefer that ...

COVID-19 evolves — but scientists, health care professionals keep up with it

COVID-19 immunizations saved 235,000 American lives during the first nine months that those vaccines were available, from December 2020 to September 2021 (JAMA Network Open, July 6, 2022). Now, a year later, they have spared additional tens of thousands of us from premature death and long COVID. Recent commentary (The Lancet Infectious Diseases, August 22, 2022) about Massachusetts is also encouraging. That state met the spring Omicron surge with its population 80% fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and had no excess deaths, even among infected older people, for the first time since the ...

After COVID-19, every mile counts

COVID-19 is most known as a virus that causes respiratory disease. It has had varying effects on people infected by it, with symptoms as basic as a headache to the inability to breathe or extreme fatigue. Currently, there have been more than 3 million cases with 46,494 deaths directly due to complications resulting from contracting COVID-19 just within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It has been just over a year since I got COVID and had a double lung transplant to save my life. The recovery process has been anything but easy. It has also been a fast-paced crash course in ...

Families need a rein on inflation, not shortsighted spending gimmicks

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) hit a 40-year high in June, with an increase of 9.1% over last year before holding steady in July. According to one analysis, inflation is costing American families about $500 per month in higher prices. Americans are feeling the pain, with a recent Quinnipiac poll finding that 34% of voters list inflation as the most urgent issue facing the country. We know how we got here. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed multiple stimulus bills. Combined, these legislative actions increased the federal deficit by an estimated $5.23 ...