Everyone's Opinion Newsletter

Local coverage of candidates running for offices and school board positions has been eerily non-existent from the Altoona Mirror; looks like they might set this one out. Guess they don’t want to have anything committed to a printed public medium, which could be referenced back to in the future regarding commitments made to voters on issues, especially the issue of reassessment. Your vote is wanted but you are not to know what you’re voting for nor do they want a paper trail, trick...

In the first half of this year (2009) it seemed like every school district in Blair County raised their millage rate. The one that didn’t was Hollidaysburg school district, which was a surprise since they approved a 3.3% salary increase over the “next three years”. Guess we’ll have to wait and see whether this means, that over a three year period their wages will increase by 3.3% or if it means, they will be getting a 3.3% per year increase over the next three years.

A recent article titled “1958 Revenues Aren’t Cutting It”, from Poeman of Penn’s Woods, exhibits a peculiarity that has become a trademark, in that; the article reflects its author’s compulsive labors to misrepresent, which suggests a liberal attitude that shuns responsibility.

It has been a while since Poeman has visited us; wonder what rousted her out of Penn’s Woods? Perhaps she has been lost for a while wandering around in circles an...

What do The Tea Party, the Republican Party,  and Freeman have in common?  They think that you can run government with little or no taxes!  How does Freeman differ from every responsible citizen?  He likes to pay his taxes at 1958 rates and keep our county government bankrupt.  One wonders if he goes into Subway, orders a foot-long, then demands to pay for it at a discount.  Inflation exists.  It is as real as the paper with which our Federal Government creates fiat money to pay its de...

The "League" is back at it again; upon whose request, a mystery, they just conveniently appear out of thin air. On June 12, 2009 the Altoona Mirror entertained us with an article entitled, "League offers ideas for fiscal solvency", authored by William Kibler. The last time they were here was on March 26, 2009 as per another Mirror article titled "League projects huge city deficit" again authored by William Kibler.

The 'League" refers to the Pennsylvania Economy League. In ...

It seems like March was a cantankerous month for county government. There was the controversy of a young woman in the drug court rehabilitation program receiving an abortion. Then we had the county employees disgruntlement over wages and benefits.

Then the one that lit the fuses of a lot of people was the pay increase for attorneys and Helen Schmitt's sizeable raise. It was enough to make a bystander wonder if all this controversy was being intentionally provoked, or count...

I believe the article was well written with many great points. However, as a man on the street I hear a lot of nasty comments made about the commissioners and what they are doing or not doing, mostly from local talk radio. What I don't hear are any solutions. Oh yeah! Complaining is the easy part. It all boils down to the fact that the last county assessment was done 50 years ago, so of course it's much too soon to do one. Let's wait another 50 years when it will cost 10 or 15 million. I don'...