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Rigid public comment rules do more harm

Editorials

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Public comment periods are meant to let people talk to the government. Sometimes it’s about actions that are happening or decisions that are pending. Sometimes it’s about bringing problems to the government’s attention. A comment period is one mechanism municipalities, school boards and other agencies can use to make that process tick by with clockwork efficiency. It prescribes when a speaker can speak. It sets up the format. It establishes the time frame. It also moves the blame. It isn’t council’s fault you only get a few minutes to speak. It’s ...

Wildlife crossings save money, lives

Letters to the Editor

Every April, we celebrate Earth Month by reflecting on our stewardship of the natural world. Yet, for many Pennsylvanians, one of our most frequent interactions with nature is a terrifying one: the “deer in the headlights” moment. We all know that split-second panic when glowing eyes reflect from a darkened road, forcing a choice between a life-altering swerve or a collision costing thousands in repairs and medical bills. Beyond the $8 billion annual drain on our economy, these collisions highlight a deeper environmental issue. Our highways have unintentionally obstructed the ...

Congress fails at doing its job

Letters to the Editor

Dear members of Congress: I write today with heartfelt admiration for our esteemed members of Congress. It takes courage to hand over your constitutional powers to the Executive Branch with such enthusiasm. Why bother with Article 1 when you can simply outsource your job and still collect a paycheck? Inspirational. One must applaud Congress for recognizing that checks and balances are so ... old fashioned in a world filled with streaming services and self-driving cars, who has time for something as outdated as Legislative responsibility? The founders clearly did not anticipate how ...

Government program dependence wrong

Letters to the Editor

I am writing this in response to many of the articles generated regarding government program cutbacks and their disdain with that. I want to start by using the words: “work” and “balance.” I am a retired social worker and worked for 35 plus years at a local hospital and the community. I visited people in their homes and saw their children in schools and in the community as well. During that time frame, I worked with several populations of people. I do feel we have a responsibility to help vulnerable populations like veterans, the elderly, children, etc., with government ...

Prison plans should shift into high gear

Editorials

Mostly aimed at Blair County governments of the past, well-deserved criticism about procrastination over the issue of a new county prison has been meted out in this space. The need for a new incarceration facility has been known for decades by government leaders as well as many other people of this county. The problem has been that, rather than tackling new construction when a new facility could have been built for a small fraction of the current cost, county leaders chose instead to kick the proverbial can down the road and hope some future commissioners board would “pick it ...

HASD board made correct decision

Letters to the Editor

Congratulations to the Hollidaysburg School Board for its decision to approve the text recommended by the AP for its AP psychology course. That sounds ironic, doesn’t it — that a school board should be commended for selecting the best tool to be successful in a course, which students will pay to take an exam to earn possible college credits? To have selected a different text than the one specifically created for the course would be tantamount to choosing a drivers’ education text for a different country, then asking the students to be successful on the Pennsylvania driving test. ...