Tuesday, December 13, 2016

My personal 12 Days of Christmas Wish List

Some of the things on here are true and some are made up. You decide which is which. Oh, and Merry Christmas one and all!

Monday, November 21, 2016

Time to get critical thinking out of intensive care

Critical thinking seems to have given way to the 30-second soundbite and the instant gratification of the Internet. Time to reverse course! In my latest rant I talk about the need for the Electoral College. Unfortunately, some believe in the wake of our last presidential election it needs to fall by the wayside. I argue that we need it now more than ever!

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Time to give Trump a chance

I remember thinking what a lot of you are thinking right now. How in the world did this guy get elected president? Only I was thinking it about eight years ago. We’re in almost the same position we were then when a virtual unknown became the president-elect. Now, we have a completely known as our president-elect. Think about it. In my latest rant, I talk about the fact that Donald Trump is not going to ruin America any more than Barack Obama did. Worse case scenario he gets some of his agenda through Congress that the liberal half of the country doesn’t agree with, just as the conservative half of the country doesn’t agree with the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Norristown Rising Roundtable to focus on safety and cleanliness

Revitalization hasn't come easy for Norristown. It's a struggle I've had a front row seat to for the past two decades while sitting in the editor's chair at The Times Herald. After years of frustration, and not for lack of trying I might add, I thought about a different approach. One of our responsibilities here at The Times Herald is to lead public discourse. We are the watchdogs of the community, but we also need to ask questions when things just don't seem right. So almost exactly two years ago the idea for Norristown Rising was born. We mapped out a series of stories that would run during 2015, asking questions about crime, housing, infrastructure and multiple other issues that never seem to make any progress toward the goal of revitalizing what was once a very proud place to live and work, and visit on a Friday or Saturday night. From that series, we launched the Norristown Rising Roundtable panel discussions in late 2015. We'll be hosting the third roundtable discussion later this month at the Centre Theater, where they've all been held, in the heart of Norristown. Last week's column outlined the next discussion pretty well, so give it a read and hopefully, we'll see you at the theater on October 24.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Washing away the stigma of Norristown's past

I've been on a personal mission for some time now, and what I'm coming to realize is that I'm not going to be able to accomplish this task all on my own. As much as I would like to think I can single-handedly get Norristown back on the right track, I know I'm going to need some help. In my latest rant, a lament the lack of public involvement when it comes to anything positive in town. Oh, people are more than happy to tell you about everything that's wrong with Norristown, but what we really need are the people who see the positive, and I certainly believe the residents of Norristown have to become more involved. Here's a positive for you. Just look at the marquee at the Centre Theater! Good things are happening in this town!

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Word of caution for choosing our next commander-in-chief

My three-column rant ends with a look at the current president, and a word of caution about choosing our next commander-in-chief!I figured I was working my way up the food chain so in my latest rant I thought I might as well take a couple of shots at our departing president, and implore folks to please pay attention during these God-awful debates. What these folks are saying out of the sides of their mouths will come straight at us if they're elected to the highest office in the land.

Monday, February 8, 2016

It’s time now for a little shameless self-promotion! My latest rant is really more of a plug for Norristown, a place I've been trying for years to help bring back to life! The promotion is actually for the Centre Theater, but since I sit on the board this column could be considered a little self-serving. We’ve been having a great time down at the theater, you know, when we’re not working our tails off trying to get the place in shape, which is where I want to start today. Not with me getting in shape. I’m working on it, but hey, let’s be honest, I’ve been working on it for years.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Trying to kill two political birds with one stone

Sixty seven counties, 67 state representatives. I like it. Add breaking off commercial properties from residential and we might just have a state that doesn't seem bent on taking all of our hard earned money away from us. In my latest rant I actually give some credit to a group of lawmakers out in York County who want to shrink the size of our state government, but I want to cut just a tad bit deeper than they do.