MIDSTATE REVIEW & OPINION

Commentary on current events by local experts

• Specter's foes must appeal to state's swing voters
One of my politico buddies was afraid Tom Ridge would run for the U.S. Senate next year and spoil all the fun.

• Our energy future lies in clean, renewable energy. Making the fossil fuel industry pay for pollution will make the sun, geothermal and wind more economical and put millions of our fellow Americans back to work building our new energy system. ED PERRY is NWF's global warming outreach coordinator. He lives near State College. OUR ENERGY FUTURE What's the next step? %%deck%%Empty threats fuel fear of renewable sources
In the upcoming months, there will be considerable discussion about the president's cap and trade program that will begin reducing the amount of carbon dioxide discharged into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, there is likely to be a lot more heat than light.

• Focus on homeless Student shows passion for topic many avoid
AS I SEE IT

• If economy continues to fail, GOP could get the blame
Karl Marx once penned that the specter of socialism haunted the world. Things have become more complex since 1848, and now several nightmares haunt the U.S.: global economic collapse: stagnation and deflation, runaway deficits, global warming, and peak oil.

• AN AGENDA FOR A SUSTAINABLE AMERICA
by John C. Dernbach

• Can Economic Stability Buy Us Happiness?
by Jeff Bucs

• The Other March Madness
by Katie Conboy

• Rendell's policies positioned state to withstand economic crisis
BY CHUCK ARDO

• Why sustainability matters to America
By John C. Dernbach

• Patriot-News can overcome challenges
The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News recently filed for bankruptcy protection. The Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Morning Call in Allentown and other major newspapers, has done the same. The owners of the Hershey Chronicle, which was recently shut down, were the first to head down this road.

• Safe & secure: Community banks instill confidence
By Kevin W. Laudenslager

• Time to padlock college president pay?
By Steven Roy GoodmanThe salary cap on corporate CEOs who accept federal bailout money should also apply to university presidents.

• Oscar winner sparks reflection for Asian-American
By Robert William

• Today's parents need more help from community
By Ed Trask

• My new assignment editor? You, the community
In the face of some skeptics, I stubbornly believe PennLive readers should be involved in deciding which stories we write.