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Opinion

What voters see in the parties

Columns

The November midterm vote will be shaped less by party slogans than by the judgments voters make about their daily lives: whether prices feel manageable, whether their communities feel safe, and whether Washington is listening. Neither party can assume that frustration with its opponent automatically amounts to trust in itself. The economy is the clearest test. Recent national surveys show that 84% of registered voters consider it very important to their vote. That includes 88% of voters supporting Democratic House candidates and 82% supporting Republicans. Democrats hold an 8-point ...

The impact fee on natural gas is working!

Letters to the editor

Dan Mosel Harrisburg Pennsylvania’s natural gas impact fee continues to prove the doubters wrong. When it was enacted over a decade ago, opponents were convinced that it wouldn’t benefit the Commonwealth the way a severance tax might. They insisted that a severance tax — which would probably just funnel more money into the black hole that is the state’s General Fund — was the better policy option to ensure that Pennsylvanians got their “fair share” of the industry’s profits. But the impact fee has proven otherwise. This fee (which is really a tax in all but name) ...

Politicians can’t just ‘give the people what they want’

Columns

For reasons that will baffle my many detractors, I am often asked for advice about being an opinion journalist. One of my standard responses is: You have to be willing to disappoint your biggest fans. What I mean is that if you start to see your job as telling fans what they want to hear, you risk becoming an entertainer rather than a thinker, and eventually you become a caricature. I’ve seen it happen numerous times. Patrick Buchanan was a brilliant columnist and a serious person. But over the course of his career, he listened too much to the people who said, “Go Pat, go!” and ...

A vote for Ray Bigler in PA-15

Letters to the editor

Rick Thomas Lewisburg I would like to express my support for Ray Bilger as our next Representative for the 15th Congressional District. I first met Ray about a year ago, not long after he expressed his interest to run for the position. He immediately impressed me with his communication skills while addressing people he’s never met and groups he had never spoken to. His skills as a communicator no doubt stem from his fluency in multiple foreign languages, all learned as a part of his previous career working for the U.S. Air Force and the State Department. His ability to ...

Bilger will listen

Letters to the editor

Debbie Meder Port Matilda Why am I voting for Ray Bilger to represent PA15 in the US House of Representatives? I know his background and experience in the military and national intelligence will be real assets to our area. But the main reason I am voting for Ray is because of his commitment and dedication to meeting and listening to the people of PA15. He has traveled throughout PA15 — the largest district in the state — and has engaged with locals to learn about the issues that impact them. His view is that all of us in PA15 are his bosses and Ray will find a way to get issues ...

Dear Annie: Marriage has lost its get-up-and-go

Columns

Dear Annie: I’ve been married only a few short years. My husband and I used to go out and have fun; we’d do things like day trips to the beach or going out to eat, just to get out of the house. Over the past few years, he has decided that his favorite pastime is sitting on the sofa. If I mention going somewhere, he comes up with an excuse: it’s too hot, gas is too expensive, he’s tired. Or if he agrees to go somewhere, he will cancel when the time comes to go, usually with one of the above-mentioned excuses. However, if it’s something he wants to do, he can’t get there ...