Let’s be blunt about it: Russ Diamond is a jerk
By Mike McGann, Editor The Times @mikemcgannpa
There are good people (lots, actually) and then — well, and unfortunately there’s no better way to put it — some people are reprehensible jerks (and yes, I wanted to use a more succinct expletive, but it seemed immature).
One of the biggest in Pennsylvania is a State Representative from Lebanon County, Russ Diamond.
After State Health Secretary...
COVID-19 Update, May 12: As Toomey demands reopening, Fauci warns of ‘uncontrollable’ outbreaks
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
A day after a firestorm by an apparent attempt by GOP legislative leaders to spark various county rebellions against Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency COVID-19 Stay At Home and business closure orders — and Wolf making it clear those counties would pay a price — there appeared to be an uneasy quiet with no action in the ongoing standoff.
Beyond Wolf’s...
So…how many people are you willing to let die?
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
We’d like it to be over, but it’s not.
The news that some 24 Pennsylvania counties will move a more open “yellow” stage next week naturally has folks in Chester County asking when will things open up here?
The honest answer: not that soon. June, maybe.
The numbers tell the story: new case numbers are not declining, if anything, they’ve been...
Disease of the week? COVID? Nah. Political stupidity.
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
Maybe it is everyone is tired of being shut in, maybe it is just that time of year.
But there seems to be a lot of stupid going around right now — not limited to one party (mostly, true, but not entirely).
The broadest expression of stupid are those still claiming COVID-19 is some sort of hoax, or just another flu. Since last week’s column, more...
We The People are We The Jury when it comes to impeachment
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Today, for just the third time in U.S. history, an impeachment trial of the President of the United States begins.
While the pundits will go on endlessly about the 100 U.S. Senators who will decide President Donald J. Trump’s fate, there is a greater truth.
We — the American people — are the jury. You have a duty to watch if possible, catch up and stay informed...
Some common sense legislation could reduce gun violence, but don’t hold your breath
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Well, here we are again.
Another (well, two, actually) mass shooting with dozens dead. And yes, there are some ancillary issues, such as a growing White Nationalist movement inspired by the most racist president since Andrew Johnson (which is saying something if you think about Woodrow Wilson) — and while that whole issue, revealing a growing racist streak in...
Letter: Toomey doesn’t get it when it comes to student debt
To the Editor:
Senator Toomey doesn’t get it. For most hardworking Americans it’s no secret that student loan debt is becoming one of our nation’s most pressing national crises. Americans now suffer approximately 1.2 trillion dollars in student loan debt. This is significantly higher than either auto loan or credit card debt.
In particular it has affected the millennial generation to such...
Op/Ed: Keep child predators out of Pa.’s classrooms
Backs federal legislation to enforce background checks, sharing of data across states
By Thomas P. Hogan, Chester County District Attorney
Thomas P. HoganLast year, news broke that the Coatesville Area School District had hired multiple convicted felons and entrusted the safety and care of children to such criminals. For example, Victor Ford’s convictions for multiple state and federal felonies...
Barrar seeking mental health solutions for vets
State Rep. Stephen Barrar
HARRISBURG — With the Pentagon reporting 150 confirmed and suspected suicides taking place among active duty troops in the Army in 2013, clearly additional and/or improved mental health services are needed for our men and women in uniform, and Rep. Stephen Barrar (R-160), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Services Committee, is seeking solutions.
Prior...
Op/Ed: Help us protect Pennsylvania’s kids from sexual predators
By David Heckler, Bucks County District Attorney,
Tom Hogan, Chester County District Attorney
Jack Whelan, Delaware County District Attorney
Risa Vetri Ferman, Montgomery County District Attorney
Seth Williams, Philadelphia District Attorney
As prosecutors, we confront harrowing and heart-wrenching cases nearly every day. It is the child sexual abuse cases that are among the toughest...
