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Rescuing Obamacare is bad medicine in U.S.

The recent U.S. government shutdown brought to light America’s debate over government intervention in our economy, and particularly in healthcare. Are we Socialist? Free-Market? Something else? Obamacare was sold as the remedy for perceived shortcomings in U.S. healthcare. Its supporters promised to save families $2,500 per year, contain costs, and make healthcare unicorns available for all. Yet, Democrats recently held the nation hostage for 45 days of shutdown demanding additional subsidies to rescue Obamacare from itself. But rescuing Obamacare is the opposite of rescuing ...

A seasonal church visit that was a gift

Dear Richard and I were in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. We had matinee tickets for “White Christmas”, the holiday musical, on stage. When I bought the deep discount tickets, I thought it would be a great way to jump into the mood of the holiday season. We stayed at a friendly B&B and had a fun, chatty breakfast with the two other weekend couples. After breakfast, there was time before our theater afternoon for the Sunday service at St. Marks Anglican Church downtown. It was a good decision because for the past week, I’ve been chewing on a few ideas I ...

Pointing fingers won’t lower electric costs

Pennsylvanians are frustrated by rising electricity bills, and rightfully so. In a letter sent just this week, Gov. Josh Shapiro pointed to PJM, the regional transmission organization that manages our power grid, as the cause of these increases. In reality, energy costs more because we’re not producing enough of it. Before we point any fingers, it’s important to understand what PJM is, what it does and, most importantly, what it does not do. PJM is one of nine regional transmission operators (RTOs) in the United States and the largest in the nation. It coordinates electricity for ...

Tax the left, not the rich

Internal Revenue Service data indicate that the top 1% of taxpayers pay about 45% of all income taxes in the United States. The same data indicate that 49% of the U.S. population contributes absolutely nothing. Yet we still hear the nonsensical “Tax the rich!” mantra on infinite replay (yawn). It started with Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto in 1848. Marx – the quintessential socialist who mooched off others all his life — thought that confiscating the earnings of productive people would be fun. Socialist movements always start with “Tax the rich!” and always end in ...

The Vespa 400 was my ride

My four-wheel Vespa was not one of their world-renowned motor scooters. It was a car. A really small car. I don’t think my mother ever forgave me. “That’s probably the dumbest purchase you have ever made.” I bought the little red car during my junior year of college. No longer living on campus, it was a challenging year of half college credits and a full-time job. And to make it work, I had to commute 28 miles to work, 12 miles to Boston University, then 20 miles home each day. A 60-mile triangle. My bicycle was not up to the job. I waitressed on Cape Cod for three summers, ...

Penn State ag trip offers ‘incredible’ insights

On Nov. 15, I had the opportunity to travel to Penn State University for 4-H Animal Science Day. An experience that opened my eyes to the depth of agricultural education, the energy of campus life, and the many careers that support our food systems. What stood out most throughout the day ...