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‘We pledge allegiance to the flag’

We very much appreciate the work that local residents Terry and Carmen Banfill do in educating our kids about the American Flag. The Express community newspaper recently featured Terry and Carmen presenting the Red, White and Blue to students at various schools in the area. They have made some 225 flag presentations in over 20 years. Bravo! Every community needs a couple like the Banfills to engage their schools and students about the flag in support of teachers educating our kids about democracy, freedom and the responsibility that goes with it. The Banfills’ work — their ...

Investing more in students is what matters

“The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.” — Education Clause in the Pennsylvania Constitution We start this Our View with the above clause in the Pennsylvania Constitution to remind readers of this important mandate ... yes, this decree ... to the Legislature, citizen taxpayers and voters. Providing opportunities (thorough) for public education at a reasonably affordable (efficient) price is something our Founders understood as being integral to the ...

1, 2, 3 … The U.S. Census needs to beware of technology

The once-a-decade collection of information about Americans may well go down in history as the first digital Census. Let us hope it also is not recorded as an electronic fiasco. Officials at the U.S. Census Bureau will be utilizing tons of state-of-the-art technology in gathering information this year. For starters, this will be the first Census in which Americans are being encouraged to participate online, instead of with printed questionnaires. And, later this year, the small army of people going door-to-door to ask questions will be carrying smartphones using a new ...

We must ensure that justice is colorblind

It may be impossible to devise a foolproof safeguard against bias on the part of jurors in criminal trials. Recently, Keith Tharpe reminded us why we need to keep trying. Tharpe, 61, late last year, was in a Georgia prison — still under a death sentence dating back to 1991. He was convicted of murdering his sister-in-law in 1990. From reports on the case, it appears prosecutors had plenty of evidence. But after his conviction and sentencing, his attorneys filed appeals. They cited bias by one juror. After years of appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back to a lower ...

Beware of China

Some foreign governments spare no effort to gain advantage over U.S. businesses and consumers. Trade barriers such as tariffs and unreasonable restrictions in the name of product safety are examples. But some — including China — are involved in all-out assaults on Americans. Theft of U.S. companies’ trade secrets by the Chinese has been well publicized. But now another type of assault was revealed by the U.S. Justice Department. Four members of the Chinese army have been charged with hacking into computer networks operated by the Equifax credit reporting company. In addition ...

More Route 220 safety initiatives are welcomed

Did you know that more than 24,000 vehicles travel the Route 220 corridor between Linden and Jersey Shore every day? 24,000. We expect many are work and school commuters. Many are local. Many also are pass-through travelers. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has made various safety improvements along the corridor over the years. This section of highway is not limited access. Part of its challenge is the many, many roads and driveways that directly access this corridor between the West Fourth Street and Route 287 access points. In some sections it is divided ...