MIDSTATE EDITORIALS

Our Views and Yours with The Patriot-News

This month in an “As I See It” column, Lower Paxton resident Elizabeth Williams decried the campaign of lies and deceit being waged against President Barack Obama and blamed it on racism. Subsequently, several readers have responded in letters that they simply oppose the president’s policies and that race has nothing to do with it. Considering that 47 percent... Full story »

Many decades ago, the exact same arguments were made regarding the integration of our military. Full story »

Americans are sending a clear signal that they do not want President Obama’s health care plan. Polls show that large majorities are afraid that “Obamacare” will mean higher taxes, higher insurance premiums and lower quality health care. That fear is well-placed considering that few, if any lawmakers, have even seen the president’s proposal. Pennsylvania’s Democratic members of Congress should heed... Full story »

When I opened up the Web site for my hometown newspaper, out of the corner of my eye I saw a photo of Fess Parker in the far left column, the one reserved for the obituaries of famous or infamous people. I hesitated before I would let myself look. Davy Crockett was dead. “LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Fess... Full story »

During a recent Senate hearing featuring Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger, big issues were on the table. Lawmakers asked about water quality, Marcellus Shale drilling and green jobs, among other items. But the one topic that had senators from across the state all buzzing was blackflies. The Rendell administration is proposing another cut in blackfly spraying around... Full story »

CHEERS to hockey phenoms the Hershey Bears. Yet another winning year with a playoff birth and East Division title. Now they have a shot at the record for best winning season of the AHL’s 74-year history. They are the big, bad, winning Bears, and we’re sure happy to have their kind in our backyard. JEERS to Greyhound bus in Harrisburg... Full story »

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  Sophocles and Shakespeare. Johann Sebastian Bach and Yo-Yo Ma. Rembrandt and Claude Monet. Since ancient Greece and imperial China, the arts have been a keystone of every great civilization. Their limitless explorations of relationships, beauty, emotion and our highest ideals have defined what it means to be human. Yet in every part of American society, the arts often... Full story »

Ever since the Governor’s Business Tax Reform Commission released its report in 2004 outlining a variety of necessary changes to the commonwealth’s business tax structure, which included combined reporting, a variety of special interests have misrepresented the impact that combined reporting would have on corporations and our state. The Governor’s Business Tax Reform Commission was a bipartisan effort aimed... Full story »

At a time when the state Legislature is considering legislation to comprehensively revise Pennsylvania’s child custody laws, and there is an all-time low in citizen confidence in the judicial system, the Pennsylvania Superior Court’s decision in M.A.T. v. G.S.T., authored by Judge Christine Donohue, makes perfectly clear what should, and should not, be considered by a trial court deciding... Full story »

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The best wake-up call for any elected official is the ballot box. When voters are mad, they vote, often for the other candidate. But first there has to be another candidate. Last week was the deadline to file with Pennsylvania’s Department of State for a candidate’s name to appear on the ballot in the May primary. If there’s one... Full story »

It’s clear that state government officials are out of step with the nation. The performing arts are under attack. Progressive civilizations of every age have had the performing arts at their core. During the Renaissance, every educated person was expected to be trained in the performing arts. The Greeks included music, theater and dance as intrinsic values of their progressive... Full story »

St. Patrick’s Day is over. The green beer has been poured, the green hats have been discarded, the green beer has been poured, the corned beef has been served — oh, and did we mention that the green beer has been poured? In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is first and foremost a religious holiday. As with Christmas in the... Full story »

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