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Time to rein in culture of Harrisburg

The culture of Harrisburg would be best described as “clubby.” After legislative sessions at the State Capitol on Third Street, lawmakers and their staffs often head toward the wide selection of establishments on Second Street and elsewhere to socialize and strategize — and to attend the constant fundraisers happening around the city. But it’s not just those with offices in the capitol who make up this scene: It’s also the lawyers and lobbyists who make their living by befriending and influencing legislators from around the state for whom Harrisburg becomes a second home. ...

AASD security question worth more thought

The Altoona Area School District’s security staff is a well-functioning component of the school system. The appropriate question now before district officials is whether the size of that staff remains adequate for its current level of responsibilities. Altoona officials will be making that determination in the days and, perhaps, weeks ahead, in response to a board member’s concern. Actually, the evaluation that will be taking place here is one that could be imitated in other districts. It is no secret that solid security measures are needed now more than ever before — ...

PSERS need to accept transparency

It only came after an FBI investigation, subpoenas from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and sustained criticism about a lack of transparency from some of its own board members, but the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) has finally agreed to change one of the most fundamental ways it does business. The beleaguered agency, which manages a $70 billion pension plan for about a half-million working and retired educators, has for years faced criticism from segments of its own board about its investment strategy — which focused on high-fee, ...

Seniors should be prioritized

An Associated Press article published in last Thursday’s Mirror indicated policymakers’ opinion that the 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment that millions of retirees on Social Security will be receiving next year is a safeguard to protect Social Security benefits against the loss of purchasing power, not a pay bump for retirees. While those policymakers are correct in a basic sense, the increase in reality isn’t a safeguard at all. It will not come close to enabling retirees to meet the growing financial challenges that they will face during the coming year. For many retirees, ...

Why should men be given a free pass?

State Rep. Chris Rabb definitely got our attention. Is he serious about forcing men over 40 or with three kids to get vasectomies? That’s a little unsettling. Many of us get really alarmed at talk about forcing a man to do anything with his own body — wear a mask or get a vaccination, let alone control his procreation. That’s why Rep. Rabb’s threat of a bill to force some men to get vasectomies is so over the top. The government telling a man what to do with his own body? Absurd. Rep. Rabb said he introduced the legislation to make a point about the “egregiously gendered ...

Prioritize child-abuse epidemic

Tuesday’s front-page Mirror article “State sees jump in child abuse cases”— a big jump — included mention of Pennsylvania lawmakers’ positive — albeit reactive, rather than proactive — efforts to pass legislation responding to headline-making abuse cases. Yet sooner, rather than later, in this pandemic era, there needs to be a much more intense and wide-ranging focus by the General Assembly — and, actually, society in general — on all aspects of the abuse problem than what the commonwealth heretofore has witnessed. Does one solution include tougher penalties, ...