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We are in ‘bluebird moment’

It is Judy Garland versus Vera Lynn. It is The 1939 song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” versus the 1942 hit “White Cliffs of Dover.” It is America in its prewar reverie versus Great Britain in its wartime trial. This is, for America’s two political parties, a Bluebird Moment. Let me explain: Garland sang that “Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly.” Lynn crooned that “when the dawn comes up/There’ll be bluebirds over/The white cliffs of Dover.” There the visions — there the lyrics — divert, and there the two parties do as well. The Republicans ...

America’s presidential process matters

The 2020 presidential election is not over yet. There are multiple legal challenges and recounts pending in key states, and, under a long-standing legal process, those events must play out before a winner is officially declared. I know roughly half the nation does not want to hear that, but it is the truth. We have been down this road before. Twenty years ago, a young television reporter stood outside the vice president’s residence in Washington, D.C., for more than 30 days keeping viewers up to date on the occupant’s challenge to the vote count in Florida. Vice President ...

Court ‘balance’ has often swung

Recent controversy over the recent Supreme Court nomination and its impact on the balance of the court suggests an historical analysis might provide some insight into the matter. I use the political party (D or R) of the president making the nomination as proxy. Judicial temperament further defines the candidate. Rs say “the constitution says what it says” (sometimes called textualist or strict constructionist) and the Ds view it as a “living document” and changes with the times (activist or interventionist). I start with the Franklin Delano Roosevelt presidency. ...

School bus industry in jeopardy

Most of us remember the popular children’s song, “The Wheels on the Bus.” When we were kids, we sang it with our friends as we rode a yellow bus to school; as parents, we taught it to our own children. But in every school district across the state, the future of the yellow bus is at risk. Pennsylvania is in danger of losing its school bus drivers and the businesses that employ them. We must make certain that school buses and drivers are available to transport students when they return to the classroom. To ensure that happens, pupil transportation must be funded and supported ...

Kudos to Direct Support Professionals

This week, Sept. 13-19, is observed nationally as Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, and for good reason. Direct Support Professionals, or “DSPs” as they’re often called, are the frontline workers at human services agencies that support people living with intellectual or developmental disabilities. DSPs assist people with disabilities in daily living activities like personal care, feeding, cooking, cleaning, and medication management. They help people manage their finances and appointments. They transport and accompany people in the community so they can ...

Kudos to Direct Support Professionals

Local Voices By Rebecca Aungst This week, Sept. 13-19, is observed nationally as Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, and for good reason. Direct Support Professionals, or “DSPs” as they’re often called, are the frontline workers at human services agencies that support people living with intellectual or developmental disabilities. DSPs assist people with disabilities in daily living activities like personal care, feeding, cooking, cleaning, and medication management. They help people manage their finances and appointments. They transport and accompany people ...