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Opinion

Problem solved: Keep hands to yourself

Letters to the Editor

After reading the paper online and watching local news, I am compelled to write this letter. Almost every day, I hear about child molesters and abusers. Almost every day, I read about men who abuse their wives, girlfriends and children. And on some days, the genders are reversed. People, it is not that hard to keep your hands to yourselves. If you have an urge to harm anyone, in any way, talk to someone. You have to realize this is wrong. Doing anything to a child besides loving and nurturing them is wrong. Women were not made to be anybody’s punching bag. We were not ...

Consumer confidence needs a boost

Editorials

The Wall Street Journal reported in its Sept. 3 edition that the gap in confidence between high-earners and low-earners “is now the widest it has been in the seven years of tracking the data.” The newspaper said that, for this nation’s middle class, this summer has been one of cooling confidence, with consumer sentiment dropping nearly 6% in August. If that “confidence dive” continues, 2025’s end-of-year holidays could prove dismal for retailers, not only somewhere else but here in the Southern Alleghenies region as well. Black Friday, already a skeleton of its former ...

In-town tree loss noticeable

Letters to the Editor

Altoona’s government and many local businesses and organizations seem to refrain from maintaining or planting new trees. A recent example is the front of the Jaffa Shrine where new sidewalks were just installed. The existing trees were removed and none were planted to replace them. April 2025, a Broad Avenue resident attempted to retain his frontal trees. The city was not willing to alter the replacement sidewalk that shared space with these trees. Trees provide multiple functions. Trees filter the atmosphere, provide shade, shelter birds and small rodents, and they beautify our ...

Mistakes repeated when history ignored

Letters to the Editor

I was dismayed but not surprised to read the results of the Mirror’s poll to the query: “Do you think it was the right decision for President Donald Trump to call in the National Guard to police Washington, D.C.?” Fifty-six percent of respondents said it was OK. This is typical of the Mirror’s readership. Allowing themselves for generations to be snookered by the Republican party, and having been further brainwashed by Fox News, the majority of central Pennsylvanians are willfully and seemingly happily ignorant to both facts and history. Being obtuse when it comes to fascism, ...

Health insurance needs to be affordable

Letters to the Editor

As someone living with a chronic health condition, affordable health insurance is essential. My family purchases our own health care through the individual health insurance marketplace because we don’t get coverage through an employer. Enhanced premium tax credits have made it possible for us to afford a plan that covers the care I need to stay healthy. These tax credits are set to expire in 2026. If Congress doesn’t act now to extend them, our premiums will skyrocket. We simply can’t afford that, and neither can the other Pennsylvanians who use these tax credits to afford ...

Internet often not source of good info

Editorials

It is not uncommon to be suspicious about much of what is posted on the internet. That’s not new, of course. It’s as old as the internet itself. However, when the internet was new, most people gave scant thought to the misinformation and evils that could embrace it and be hidden within it. It was something new, something fun, something exciting, something intriguing — and people increasingly were captivated by it and its myriad possibilities. Over the years, however, attitudes and perceptions changed, the one big change being that people have, as noted in this editorial’s ...