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Why Father’s Day still matters

It’s easy to take Father’s Day for granted. The third Sunday in June appears on calendars, marked by backyard grills and last-minute cards, but too often, the day slips by with little more than a quick phone call or a tie wrapped in paper. In a world that moves fast and prizes the new, Father’s Day offers a pause — a reminder that some of life’s most important roles are lived quietly every day and often without thanks. Father’s Day is more than a calendar formality. It’s a day set aside to recognize the men who give shape and steady hands to families and communities. In ...

Civics should be required reading

It’s low-hanging comedic fruit, ripe for the picking by late-night television talk show hosts. Folks out shopping or strolling a city street are stopped at random and quizzed on their knowledge of civics, democracy and American history. An excerpt from an actual interview: Question: “What country did we fight in the Revolutionary War?” Answer: (Long pause) “France!” Question: “What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?” Answer: (After mispronouncing “Emancipation Proclamation”): “I don’t know.” Question: “You’ve heard of it?” Answer: “I have ...

Debate on marijuana needs to be its own merits

A column in last week’s Chamber Connection, published in the Wednesday editions of the Sun-Gazette, by Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jason Fink raises a number of excellent questions about the resurfaced push to legalize recreational marijauna in Pennsylvania. Will employers be able to find staff that ensures safe workplaces — particularly when machinery and heavy equipment are used? As one of the last states in the Northeastern U.S. to not legalize recreational marijuana, would it make more sense for Pennsylvania leaders to recruit industries and ...

Cellphone law could be tougher

The expression “time flies” is familiar to most people. However, time cannot “fly” fast enough regarding Pennsylvania’s new handheld-cellphone ban for individuals operating motor vehicles on commonwealth roadways. Until the full teeth of the law replaces the wishy-washy provisions currently in place, innocent drivers or vehicle passengers could die or be maimed — just because only a warning will be issued now, rather than a monetary penalty from violators’ wallets or pocketbooks. The possibility of a fine, rather than a warning, could deter some drivers from risking ...

Cheers and Jeers from the week that was …

Cheer: Motorists, take note, and put down those cellphones. Beginning June 5, enforcement of Paul Miller’s Law, which prohibits the use of cellphones while driving, began. That means police can pull over drivers who are on their phones for any reason. For the next year, violators will be issued a written warning. After that, offenders will receive a $50 citation. Paul Miller, for whom the law is named, was killed in 2010 in Monroe County when the driver of a tractor-trailer, reaching for his cellphone, crossed into the opposite lane and crashed head-on into Miller’s vehicle. ...

Biden’s border nihilism will live long after he’s gone

The spiteful open-borders legacy of Joe Biden will plague America for generations to come, long after the former president is a fading bad memory. Somewhere between 10 to 12 million foreign nationals are believed to have entered the U.S. illegally under his watch, to add to the existing 12 to 20 million illegal aliens. Almost all were unaudited. They stormed the border for four years without background checks of the sort that American citizens must undergo to purchase a firearm or take out a loan. At a time when citizens were expelled from the military for not submitting to the ...