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IRS must be held more accountable

Many Americans are unhappy about the prospect of the Internal Revenue Service hiring tens of thousands of additional agents to enable the agency to audit a greater number of tax returns and, in the process, presumably, encourage more honest tax compliance. Some unhappiness stems from the mere prospect of the tax agency seemingly acquiring more power, even if the concerned taxpayer never has cheated the federal treasury of any money that was due. Some of the other unhappiness being vented originates with individuals and entities whose tax-paying honesty might be ...

Mishler remains treasure

Altoona’s Mishler Theatre, the subject of an Aug. 29 front-page Mirror article, is a relic of the past but also a gem of the present and future. Going forward, it always should be appreciated for the opportunities it currently provides, and nurtured for a myriad of possibilities and opportunities not yet realized or imagined. The one immediate goal that should not lose its urgency and luster is the task of keeping the theatre in the news, by way of what is happening within its walls and via its plans for the future, as well as by its status as an important ingredient in Altoona ...

Bill threatens reproductive freedom

The July 29 column written by Judy Ward on her sponsored Senate Bill 106 claims that her proposed Constitutional amendment “does not propose bans on abortions.” I am awed by the amazing spin. If it does nothing, why propose it? If you have no right to something, isn’t that the same thing? It implies that your request is subject to the whim of the person of whom it is made. It is purposely unclear, and will have the same effect with medical providers, etc., refusing to provide services due to its purposeful obscurity. We are already seeing the terrible effects of such ...

Labor Day outlook brighter

Today’s Labor Day observance carries with it many mixed emotions. While the work situation is better this year in the United States than it was in September 2021, the coronavirus pandemic, this nation’s and other countries’ shaky economic conditions and the numerous uncertainties, anxieties and political strife dogging America and the world make it easy to understand that much could be better — much better. Still, today’s Labor Day national holiday, with its numerous reasons for feeling somewhat downbeat, cannot erase the observance’s important, primary purpose. That is ...

COVID caution fine, but don’t go overboard

Under the headline “Some still isolate as COVID-19 cases decline,” the Wall Street Journal Tuesday reported that “with imperfect insight into the risks of infection as the virus mutates and immunity shifts, people are setting their own boundaries for safe behavior.” Obviously, the more people with responsible attitudes — boundaries — regarding the coronavirus, the better. Still, dangers can exist in becoming too consumed about trying to “escape” the virus. At the foundation of the fight against COVID, much discomfort and suffering can be avoided — as well as deaths ...

COVID caution fine, but don’t go overboard

Under the headline “Some still isolate as COVID-19 cases decline,” the Wall Street Journal Tuesday reported that “with imperfect insight into the risks of infection as the virus mutates and immunity shifts, people are setting their own boundaries for safe behavior.” Obviously, the more people with responsible attitudes — boundaries — regarding the coronavirus, the better. Still, dangers can exist in becoming too consumed about trying to “escape” the virus. At the foundation of the fight against COVID, much discomfort and suffering can be avoided — as well as ...