Defending America’s founding principles in a divided age

July 13, 2026

The United States nation faces threats that extend beyond the familiar divide between Democrats and Republicans. Increasingly, two ideological movements — one on the far left, one emerging on the populist right — share a willingness to undermine the principles that have long defined the American experiment. On one side stands the Democratic Socialists of America, whose influence within the Democratic Party has grown dramatically. This is no longer simply a debate over tax rates or entitlement programs. The party's activist wing has become increasingly hostile to the ideas that ...

Democrats need to take car keys away from Bernie

July 12, 2026

The Platner fiasco has unleashed something of a brawl in the Democratic Party over how the sexting candidate with a Nazi tattoo came to be their rival to Susan Collins, now in her 5th term as Republican senator from Maine. Bernie Sanders thought his socialists could pass off blue-collar impersonator Graham Platner — a product of the elite Hotchkiss prep school — as a hard-working "oysterman." Sanders had been waving off concerns about the guy. Then suddenly, he called on Platner to leave the campaign. Two problems with Bernie's new directive: One, Sanders is why Democrats got ...

Lewistown’s progress deserves notice

July 11, 2026

As plans move forward to redevelop another prominent downtown property, Lewistown residents should pause to recognize something that can get lost in the debate. The community is changing. Not every decision has been easy. Not every project has been perfect. Concerns raised by residents, preservationists, and business owners shouldn’t be dismissed. The loss of historic buildings should never be treated lightly. A town’s older buildings carry its memory. They remind residents who came before what was built here and what kind of place Lewistown has been. Whenever possible, that ...

Feds own too much real estate

July 9, 2026

The federal government is the largest owner of U.S. real estate, including more than half a billion square feet of office space. That is far more than it needs, and the cost of maintaining it has ballooned to unsustainable levels. The Public Buildings Reform Board recently identified 26 buildings across 15 states — totaling more than 7.3 million square feet — as potential candidates for the government to dispose due to poor usage and high maintenance costs. It’s the third set of disposal recommendations since Congress created the board in 2016. That’s a great start, but the ...

The grand experiment is still working

July 8, 2026

America is often described as a grand experiment. That’s true. The hypothesis of the Founding Fathers was unlike anything found in the monarchies of Europe. It was new and exciting. It took British common law and bonded it to the Magna Carta’s liberties. It agitated the idea with John Locke’s social contract. It heated it all over the flame of French philosophy. Then it asked a question: Could a government derive its authority not from a crown but from the consent of the people? It was a daring idea, and that is where the experiment lies. It was in the creation of a ...

Why does Pa. have a budget deadline?

July 7, 2026

Here we are again. July. The annual observance is upon us. No. Not Independence Day. Less celebratory, possibly just as explosive. Pennsylvania once more has seen the yearly state budget deadline — and blown past it like a reckless driver. Did anyone expect anything else? Hoped, sure, but expected? Doubtful. This is the fifth consecutive budget to miss deadline and the 15th in the past 23 years. That means the state is consistently delinquent in its obligations: to its residents, to county and local governments and to its own agencies. In 2025, the budget was 135 days late. ...