In support of train station tourism plan

April 8, 2021

For more years than we want to remember, it has seemed as if salvation for the historic downtown Wilkes-Barre train station was always just out of reach. After interminable legal delays over development of surrounding parcels, and then a stalemate with the previous mayor over reprogramming an idle $1 million state grant, 2020 brought rays of hope. New Mayor George Brown signaled to developer George Albert that he supported transferring that grant to the project, and on a hot July day Albert and a team of volunteers clawed back the boards and went into the Victorian structure to begin ...

A ‘Swift’ approach to pandemic

April 6, 2021

Nearly three centuries ago, the Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift wrote an essay, “A Modest Proposal,” in which he advocated that Ireland’s poor families sell their infants to the rich as food. The point of his straight-faced advocacy for infanticide and cannibalism was inequality, an issue that persists today. Let’s imagine that Swift or one of his successors landed in America today, in the midst of a pandemic, and surveyed our society and its challenges. One issue certain to attract his attention would be the elderly, who serve little purpose except to occupy space ...

Monitoring legislators’ per-diems

March 31, 2021

Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA reported two stories recently that detailed how Pennsylvania state lawmakers, led by House Democrats, “banked hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional taxpayer money for meals and lodging while on official business” in 2020 by availing themselves of a perk called “per diems.” The story described retreats that Republican state lawmakers have planned at a resort in the Laurel Highlands in Fayette County. Over the course of a year marked by surreal and distressing disruption, one thing didn’t change: the inclination of too many state ...

Here’s why I went to Biden’s White House

March 27, 2021

Some people were surprised when President Joe Biden invited me to the Oval Office for a meeting — although I was not. From the campaign trail to the halls of Congress, the president and I have been vocal about our conflicting ideological convictions. We share little in common, least of all our voting records. But, when it comes to creating jobs for our fellow Pennsylvanians, we are on the same team. For too long, hardworking Pennsylvanians watched American companies — and their jobs — flee our commonwealth for China. Our manufacturing industry bore the cost of mounting ...

Time to follow science, protect life

March 22, 2021

As advocates for unborn children, we are proud to jointly introduce legislation to protect unborn babies with beating hearts. Similar to heartbeat legislation passed in 11 states, under Senate Bill 378 and House Bill 904, detection of an unborn baby’s beating heart would prevent an abortion in Pennsylvania. Abortion is one of the most difficult topics to discuss in our nation, as it is tied to deeply personal and emotional issues. But now is the time to have an open and honest discussion on this very difficult matter. Scientific and medical advances of the past 50 years have ...

Sunshine needed more than ever

March 19, 2021

After months of COVID-19-related restrictions, a sunny day in spring should be viewed as an embraceable reminder of better days ahead. So with the arrival of Sunshine Week 2021, a national observation in support of open government, we would similarly embrace improved attitudes from all leaders when it comes to keeping their citizens informed. The necessity of access to public records was very evident on March 9 during a two-hour hearing before the House State Government Committee. Transparency gurus, local governmental officials and media advocates all spoke of how the laws ...