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Embrace tax fairness to address America’s economic anxiety

What would an extra $1,000 mean for your family’s financial security? Would it help cover essentials, pay bills, or repair your home or car? At a time when affordability is top of mind for many Americans, every extra dollar matters. The most recent consumer sentiment report confirms that economic anxiety is very real, finding that Americans haven’t felt this pessimistic about the economy in over a decade. Even high earners are feeling financially pinched. Congress says affordability is a priority, but real relief requires real policy changes. While lawmakers debate broader ...

Continuing education in humor serious business

Long car drives are good for sweeping out the sticky cobwebs. Lottsa time to think. On my way back from the writing conference I recently attended in Dayton, I had 375 highway miles to review the stimulating weekend, to relive many new stories. The conference’s real name is the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop. It is named for Erma, the housewife humorist and distinguished alumna of the University of Dayton, the conference venue. She began writing for her school newspaper in junior high school. And never quit. Dayton is a Catholic University. It was Brother Tom Price, Erma’s ...

Having some taste watching the money

Recently, there was an article published by the Times Observer, “RDA Approves Loan for City Business.” On Facebook, this resulted in a spirited flood of comments, mostly from people recognizing that a 3% loan for a high-failure restaurant over 15 years is a negative investment from the city. The Fed funds rate is 3.75% and bank loans are probably in the 6% range. Assuming the business survives 15 years; most restaurants fail before year seven. In the comments, many people had mentioned this was “taxpayer money” and that the city has “too many pizza places” and it wasn’t ...

No pay for Congress until they fund the government

Funding the government is the most basic constitutional function of Congress. When lawmakers repeatedly fail at this fundamental task, it shows just how dysfunctional our legislative system has become. In the last six months, America has endured three government shutdowns. The latest — a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security — is now in its seventh week and is a clear example of this systemic failure. It is an embarrassment to the country and creates real harm: serious hardship for federal workers and their families, billions of dollars in economic losses, risks to ...

Expensive round trip to priceless laughter

I was backing out of a downtown parking space when something flashed on my dashboard. The mileage calculator changed to a wrench. OMG. What’s wrong? This is not good. It was late Tuesday, and I was leaving for Dayton Thursday morning. I was heading for the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop – a professional, fun, and stimulating conference. I couldn’t wait. And now this? It was almost 5 p.m., so I drove directly to my mechanics. Rick and Mark have kept me safely on the road for more than 15 years. On my way to their shop, I glanced up at the oil sticker on the windshield. ...

SAVE Act takes aim at making it tougher to vote

You may have heard about a new voter registration act called the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) America Act. What is it, what would it change, and what evidence do we have that change is needed? In Pennsylvania, there are currently three requirements to register to vote. You must be a United States citizen, at least 18 years old, and a resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which you want to vote. If your address or name changes, or if you wish to change your party, you can update your registration by mail or in person. You must show ID the first time ...