WALL STREET JOURNAL: …Gary Miller has observed manufacturing’s evolution firsthand. When he started at Ohio-based Kyocera SGS Precision Tools Inc. in 1989, it employed 550 production workers. Despite shedding half its workers, it now produces twice as much, thanks to higher-skilled employees and equipment such as computer-controlled machine tools, which cost up to $500,000 each. Mr. […]
LNP hypocrisy knows no limit. Where is LNP’s “fire wall”?
Editorial “Hillary Clinton failed (miserably) to maintain a firewall between the Clinton Foundation and her State Department” goes on to opine: “Hillary Clinton failed (miserably) to maintain a firewall between the Clinton Foundation and her State Department… “We don’t subscribe to the where-there’s-smoke-there’s-fire school of thinking. “Still, there’s a rule of journalistic ethics that […]
Capitolwire: Beemer confirmed as new Attorney General.
By Kevin Zwick Staff Reporter Capitolwire HARRISBURG (Aug. 30) – The Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed career prosecutor Bruce Beemer as Attorney General, hoping to steady the office after a turbulent few years under its former head, Kathleen Kane. Beemer, of the Pittsburgh area, told the Senate Judiciary Committee he will “endeavor to restore a […]
Problems with education in Russia
By Slava Tsukerman Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with the proposal of the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to dismiss Education Minister Dmitry Livanov. Dmitry Livanov has repeatedly been criticized for his way of running the reform of education and the reduction of the subsidies by the state places to universities. Thus, according to the documents, […]
Capitolwire: GPA and ‘grit factor’ determine college-readiness, not test scores, officials say.
By Christen Smith Staff Reporter Capitolwire HARRISBURG (Aug. 29) — College officials across the state say grades and a tricky-to-measure “grit factor” serve as the best indicators of preparedness when evaluating student admission applications every year. That’s good news, considering the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in a report released earlier this month, advised the state expand […]
Drug prices soar — live with it
By Dick Miller WE.CONNECT.DOTS: – Mylan’s 600 per cent increase in the market price of an EpiPen drug is another result of big businesses’ unholy alliance with government. Monopoly drugs are the new cash cows. Ruthless business execs and shareholders have home field advantage. We outnumber them a thousand to one, but we’re sloppy in the […]
Vindication half a century later?
In 1964 I was fired by the Stewall Corporation because of difference in opinion of the founding board members and our interior designer concerning how nursing homes planned under my supervision should be furnished. The founders, Wallace E. Johnson and Stewart Bainum, national titans in the hotel and apartment industries, wanted the nursing homes to have […]
LETTER: ‘Old boy network’ deep in sexual crimes and threatened by Kane
In our state we have a very deep rooted group of family politicians that have been in politics and business for generations. If you are part of the network and screw up, they find another place for you in government or give you a nice business job. All for doing your part for letting them […]
The worst possible way to give to charity
Most people only allocate so much money to give to charity. And that applies to a community as a whole. Rather than having professionals throughly vet what local charities are most deserving of scare philanthropic support, we have channelled the generosity of our community into a popularity contest. Most of the beneficiaries are dogs! And […]
Kane trial wrap-up: Was Kathleen Kane’s jury trial rigged?
A series of pre-trial decisions rendered against Kane in the weeks and months leading to the jury verdict helped to seal her fate — long before a jury was ever selected. In Pennsylvania, you are protected when you go along, and you’re endangered when you don’t. by Bill Keisling A show trial, Merriam-Webster’s dictionary […]
How Russians feel about the 25th Anniversary of the end of Communism in Russia
By Slava Tsukerman Last week was the 25th Anniversary of the coup of August 19-21, 1991, an attempt to overthrow Mikhail Gorbachev from his post as the President of the Soviet Union. Almost all of the members of the Soviet government of the period were involved in the plot. The plotters called themselves the State Committee on the […]
PA defines corruption
By Dick Miller WE.CONNECT.DOTS: When it comes to state governments judged most corrupt, Pennsylvania stands out. In one study only four other states are considered worse than PA. The Center for Public Integrity graded PA with an “F,” either for failing or flunking or both. Conviction of Attorney-General Kathleen Kane for perjury and her subsequent […]
LETTER: Third Parties Aren’t Spoliers, They’re at the Cutting Edge of Democracy
Just published in The Guardian: Third Parties Aren’t Spoliers, They’re at the Cutting Edge of Democracy, with the subheadline: A vote for the Republicans or Democrats is a vote for the status quo. Pressure from the radical left could be the beginning of a transformational change And, it’s written by a very credible author! It concludes […]
It’s Official: Five States Will Vote on Marijuana Legalization in November
by Phil Smith psmith, This article was produced in collaboration with AlterNet and first appeared here. DRUG WAR CHRONICLE: Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan last week certified a marijuana legalization initiative for the November ballot, setting the stage for a national election that will see the issue go directly to the voters in five […]