In his column “Housing report offers warnings we can’t ignore“, Jeff Hawkes points out:

“What the report by the county planning commission does highlight is how township regulations drive up housing costs, making it more and more likely that developers build only for the well-to-do…

“Municipalities, for instance, may require developers to put in excessively wide streets, provide for unnecessary parking or jump through hoops to build attached residences.

“The state requires municipalities to provide for all housing types, but Jim Shultz of Charter Homes said he experienced ‘pitched battles’ when, as head of low-income housing builder HDC, he sought to ‘open up the suburbs’ to affordable housing…

“An imbalance of housing types will warp the county’s future.”

WATCHDOG: A wag of the tail!

[In response to "Criticizes newspapers, football coach, athletic director"]

Those very close to the program know that Coach Given and his staff did an excellent job this year in building the foundation for turning the program around. They worked very hard to rebuild a program that was basically abandoned for the last couple years. I was at every game this season and saw a huge difference from the prior season.

I agree that the next head coach should have real local ties and have faith that Jon Mitchell, who is very committed to JPM and all its athletics programs, will hire one. The constant criticism and infighting within the JPM community does not benefit anyone.

It seems so easy for some people to call others inept or unprofessional, yet I would love to see those people take on these public positions if they have so much knowledge and expertise. I guarantee the rest of the section loves seeing this kind of criticism because they know what kind of powerhouse JPM would be like with the full support of the community.

Lets get behind the school, programs, and people that have committed to making a difference rather than bicker and criticize.

“Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.”

WATCHDOG: A brilliant political move. In one phrase President Obama jettisons a deeply flawed bill as approved by the Senate and places the blame for inaction on the Republicans. If they don’t come around, they will be branded as obstructionists, thus setting the theme for the November elections. The dog can’t growl or wag his tail from laughing.

“Majority Proud to Have Obama as President” reports “As President Barack Obama prepares for his State of the Union Address tonight, a majority of likely voters (51 percent) say they are proud to have him as President. One-in-three likely voters (35 percent) are ashamed while 14 percent undecided, a new Zogby Interactive survey finds. While there is a strong partisan divide, independents are more likely to be proud of President Obama (45 percent) than ashamed (34 percent).”

WATCHDOG: A wag of the tail.

In a speech filled with rectitude concerning the need to contain deficits but wisely delaying implementation until 2011 (and tacitly until after recovery is well underway—whenever that will come), President Barack Obama gave every indication in his State of the Union speech that he will remain a Keynesian in practice whatever his rhetoric in an determined effort to restore prosperity.

He emphasized the importance of repairing the economy by acknowledging that “the true engine of job creation in this country will always be America’s businesses.”

He gave a sign of his commitment to priming the economy by proposing a symbolic $30 billion investment in community banks to help small business which are having trouble borrowing from big banks. The funds would come from repayment of TARP loans from the nation’s largest banks.

He proposed a new tax credit for small businesses that hired new workers or raised wages.

He brought both Democrats and Republicans to their feet with: “While we’re at it, let’s also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment; and provide a tax incentive for all businesses, large and small, to invest in new plants and equipment.”

The president advocated heavy investment in a national high-speed rail project and clean energy technology, saying the economy that leads in the latter will lead in the world.

And perhaps most surprising to many and as a sign of the change in national attitude, he proposed a network of new nuclear power plants…and he was applauded by both parties.

“The House has passed a jobs bill that includes some of these steps. As the first order of business this year, I urge the Senate to do the same. People are out of work. They are hurting. They need our help. And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay.”

On health care, the president opened the door to further negotiations by stating, “Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.”

That he did not succumb to demands for deficit reduction had historic significance. Nothing less is at stake than avoiding another full-scale depression, a very tangible risk at this moment in history.

New York Times reports:

“This small town in Pennsylvania Dutch country, in the midst of cornfields and dairy farms, would seem an unlikely home for a warehouse filled with the detritus of rock concerts past and future — a large section of the stage for the next Black Eyed Peas tour, the sets for an Elton John concert and gigantic lips from the Rolling Stones.

“But Michael Tait, whose stage-building and designing company Tait Towers, owns the warehouse, said life in Lititz was too good to move elsewhere. In fact, Mr. Tait said, if any of his employees are ever interested in going elsewhere for a job, he’ll pay their expenses while looking.

“’It’s worth it,’ he said. ‘They almost always come back. You could go to L.A. or New York, but it would never be as comfortable and it would surely be more expensive.’”…

To read the full article, click here.

What part of “THIS DEBT IS UNSUSTAINABLE!” isn’t clear? In the long run, and maybe the not-so-long run, annual trillion-plus dollar deficits will destroy the country’s economy. It’s not only incredibly inflationary, but it also mortgages our country’s future to those who hold the debt—in this case, the Chinese. Wonderful.

Editor’s response: The county faced greater proportionate debt after World War II and boomed thereafter.

At their January 27 meeting, the Lancaster County commissioners voted unanimously to contract with L. Robert Kimball & Associates, Inc. to “provide design and construction phase services for the Lancaster County Forensic Center and Laboratory.” The firm will be compensated with no more than $490,000 by the project’s completion, according to the Wednesday resolution.

“We did go through a [request for proposals] process in putting together these firms,” Commissioner Scott Martin said, “We had about four interviews, I believe, and coming out of that, we decided that Kimble was the institute we wanted to work with.”

The proposed forensic center has been a subject of deliberation among boards of commissioners since it was requested by the county corner in 2004. The current lease for the county’s morgue space in the basement of Conestoga View will expire this year. A 2006 plan for a new, 10,000 square-foot facility, estimated a $3.5 million price tag for the entire project.

The specific plan from 2006, however, has since been scrapped by the current board of commissioners, who had been concerned about the proposed East Hempfield Township location with its proximately to residential developments. In August 2009, the commissioners agreed to lease land owned by Lancaster General for $10,000 a year.

The new location will be will be adjacent to the LGH health campus, near Route 30’s Rohrstown exit.

The Financial Times reports: 

“President Barack Obama was on Tuesday facing a growing backlash from his liberal base in advance of Wednesday night’s State of the Union address State in which he will make fiscal deficit reduction a top priority for his administration…”

“Moreover, the Senate on Tuesday rejected a proposal to set up a bipartisan statutory commission to reduce mounting future deficits and national debt, which means Mr. Obama now has no option but to create a less powerful alternative body by executive order. In spite of getting a majority of 53 to 46, the proposal failed since it failed to cross the necessary 60-vote threshold…”

To read the full article, click here.

In October of 2008, the Lancaster Public Library’s board of trustees voted 6-2 to cancel plans for a $2.3 million renovation project for which $600,000 had already been spent. Leadership at the library has shifted since that time—particularly with the recruiting of Herb Landau to serve as executive director. In 2010, at the board’s January 26 meeting, NewsLanc asked the board to elaborate on any plans they now have to arrange new sources of operational funding, to expand public services, and to reboot the renovation process.

Landau said that the pursuit of new funding streams is exactly “the charge that the board has given me.” Landau continued, “I can say that we’re working on a strategic plan now to develop new funding sources, to bring new money in, to eliminate the deficit, and then, ultimately, to look again at the expansion plan.”

In the coming year, Landau said that the library plans to increase programs and services, even in the midst of budget reductions. This will be accomplished largely through collaboration with partnering organizations from the surrounding community, such as Saint James Episcopal Church on North Duke Street.

Landau refrained from projecting any sort of timeline for the possibility of future capital improvements: “I can’t say now,” Landau said, “The immediate objective is to eliminate the deficit and obtain funds to continue programs in light of the state cuts.”

Regarding the 2008 project cancellation, board member and former president John McGrann said that the board had “made a prudent decision by not committing ourselves to a project that we didn’t have secure funding in place for, and without a good plan for operating the expanded facility.”

McGrann stressed that revisiting renovation plans is not an immediate priority for the board: “Right now we are really focused on just strengthening our role in the community and building our presence and building our image in the community so that, at the right time, we can pursue that.” McGrann continued, “But, I think, in terms of approaching that from a standpoint of building awareness of a potential capital campaign, that’s premature.”