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Government control in the digital age

Editorials

Politicians push government IDs. In a TSA announcement, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem sternly warns, “You will need a REAL ID to travel by air or visit federal buildings.” European politicians go much further, reports Stossel TV producer Kristin Tokarev. They’re pushing government-mandated digital IDs that tie your identity to nearly everything you do. Spain’s prime minister promises “an end to anonymity” online! Britain’s prime minister warns, “You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID.” Queen Maxima of ...

Here’s why Johnny can’t read

Editorials

Reading and math scores are abysmal across the country, as national testing results keep documenting. Illiteracy rates are rising: The number of 16- to 24-year-olds reading at the lowest literacy levels increased from 16% in 2017 to 25% in 2023, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. In some inner-city schools, less than half of kids are reading or doing math at grade-level proficiency. Many high school grads can’t read their diplomas. As an economist, I would submit that this is our greatest crisis. It puts the future of American prosperity in grave ...

Feeling alone this season is more common than we admit

Editorials

The holidays arrive each year wrapped in lights, music and expectations. We’re told this is the season of togetherness, of full tables and louder laughter, of joy that seems mandatory. But for many people, the holidays don’t feel warm at all. They feel empty. Quiet. Heavy. Being alone during the holidays is often treated as a personal failure, as if something went wrong, as if you missed a turn somewhere in life and ended up here by mistake. But loneliness this time of year isn’t rare, and it’s not a weakness. It’s a shared human experience, especially for those carrying ...

Two towns offered magical Christmas adventures

Local Columns

This past weekend, I experienced one of the most magical Christmas adventures of my life, an adventure through two of the most Christmas-themed towns in Pennsylvania, and perhaps even the country. Our first stop was a town that proudly calls itself “the town that saved Christmas,” and after learning its story, I wholeheartedly agree. That town is Wellsboro. Before World War II, most Christmas ornaments came from Germany. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, a British blockade halted imports, cutting off an estimated 250 million ornaments needed to decorate American homes and ...

Railroad dodging accountability

Editorials

Despite Norfolk Southern’s assertions that it would make things right in East Palestine — after a derailment back in February 2023, the company appears to continue to resist doing so. Most recently, it filed motions in federal court seeking to EXCLUDE expert testimony presented by the state of Ohio and the United States as part of ongoing litigation. The proposed $315 million federal settlement between Norfolk Southern and the U.S. Department of Justice is still pending. Among the challenged witnesses are three medical doctors who support Ohio’s effort for a long-term medical ...

Frustration with property taxes doesn’t justify a higher income tax

Editorials

We understand the fear and frustration. As Lycoming County and some of its municipalities — including Williamsport — and school districts adapt or weigh the possibility of property tax increases, we recognize the strain and burden higher property taxes place on homeowners. Of course we can reiterate that local governments and school districts need to ask tough questions. They need to find spending cuts. They need to find where services and administrative functions are being duplicated and consider regionalization or consolidation. They — and we — need to remind our state ...