OP/Ed.: Wrong for state and Rafferty to back drilling on parkland

By Kathi Cozzone, Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone On Tuesday afternoon, we saw over twenty committed citizens standing outside my opponent’s office protesting the Senator’s vote to lease state-owned parkland to drilling companies. In addition to being harmful to our forests and parks, this vote was part of a larger problem happening in Harrisburg right now. The vote to lease state parkland...

Letter: Army vet suffers from vague gun laws

To The Editor, I am currently being prosecuted by the state of Pennsylvania for applying for gun ownership.  I am 31 years old, an army veteran, and recently applied to PICS (PA instant check system) to own a shotgun.  On this background check it asks if I have ever been adjudicated mentally defective or been 302’d (involuntary commitment).  I checked “no” to this question.  I...

Op/Ed.: Is ‘settled science’ really settled?

By Gerald K. McOscar Gerald K. McOscar Contrary to what some scientists and politicians profess, one need not look far to see that science is rarely settled and that much of yesterday’s “science” is today’s old wives’ tale. In June, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the case of Han Tak Lee who nearly 25 years ago was convicted of the July 1989 arson murder of his 20-year-old daughter...

Letter: objects to Caln’s new waste dropoff rules

To The Editor, As you know around three weeks or so ago a fairly large thunderstorm caused downed trees and branches across the area. In my case there were several large branches down in my yard. After scheduling time to cut up and haul away the storm damage I hear from the township’s Facebook page that “due to illegal dumping” storm damage will only be accepted Monday – Thursday...

Poll numbers don’t always tell the whole story

Also: is it time to fire legislators too busy ‘on vacation’ to do their jobs? By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Ah, the sweet smell of late summer. Fruits ripening, corn growing, backyard grills fired up, maybe even a whiff of chlorine from the pool all in the air. Also floating in the air: polling data, much of which might leave folks scratching their heads a bit. You may have seen this...

Letter: GOP protests costing tax dollars

To The Editor, As we move into this election season, it’s interesting to me to see what fear and panic produces as Gov. Tom Corbett, sinks to 20% below his opponent, Tom Wolf in the polls. Could it be that the polls are right?  Could it be that the Republican legislators from Chester County, all of whom supported Governor Corbett’s failed policies, are worried about losing as well? Traditionally,...

Op/Ed: Time to deliver justice

By Susan Rzucidlo, Candidate, State Representative, 158th District Susan Rzucidlo I am disappointed that the Republican House leadership in Harrisburg continues to fail to help victims of abuse. HB 832 and HB 878 as well as SB 1392, all bills focused on helping victims of past abuse find justice; all were left to die in committee. Recently, state Sen. Anthony Williams brought forward SB 46, a bill...

Letter: DA’s back pre-K to fight crime

To The Editor, The passage of the 2014-15 state budget included an important funding increase for future crime prevention – a $10 million increase for PA Pre-K Counts. What does Pre-K have to do with crime prevention? Considering that approximately 70 percent of our nation’s state prison population failed to receive a high school diploma, education is a pivotal factor between incarceration and...

Letter: GOP pension claims ring hollow

To The Editor, The claim made in the recent OP/ED that Southeast Pennsylvania’s GOP backed Corbett’s pension revamp rings hollow.  What the GOP fears is that Corbett is likely to be replaced by Tom Wolfe in the next election and some of them will go down with Corbett. Frankly, it will serve them right.  If the GOP had truly supported revising the pension system for the teachers union...

Op/Ed: An irresponsible budget

By Kathi Cozzone, Chester County Commissioner Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone I worked in the private sector at large and small companies, in various financial management roles, for about two decades before becoming a Chester County Commissioner.  During the Corbett administration, I have watched from afar as legislators and the Governor concocted one bad budget after another.  Previous...