No society can legislate morality

Nearly every day we pick up the daily paper and read of the moral terpitude infecting our society. When seeking an answer to what has gone so obviously wrong, many look to the state of politics in our society. 

Politics by nature are staffed by a transitory group of people that mostly reflect the society it represents. These people are entrusted by the people they represent to be stewards of the common good and maintenance of the agreed upon government functions. 

Much like society at large, there are good and bad stewards, therefore at no point are they charged with providing the nations moral guidance.

A right to own a firearm is firmly grounded in tradition and law

Guest Column by Timothy Toroian 

Now that the midterm elections are over, and Democrats are in some positions previously occupied by Republicans, here are some thoughts for your consideration: 

No politician has ever explained how inconveniencing law-abiding citizens removes guns from the hands of criminals. 

No politician has ever explained why habitual lawbreakers would surrender their guns to some kind of “buy back” program. 

Pennsylvania’s New Abnormal Government

By Lowman S. Henry 

As the dust settles on the General Election the only certainty is that state government will be very different come January. A new Governor will take office, the state Senate will have new leadership, and the state House — well, chaos will reign at least for the first half of the year. 

Attorney General Josh Shapiro will become the new Governor of Pennsylvania and his administration promises to be significantly different from that of outgoing Gov. Tom Wolf. Wolf came into office with scant government experience — he served as a cabinet secretary — and little real-world experience aside from a largely symbolic executive position with his family business.

Lawmakers Right to End Wolf's Extended Disaster Declaration

Barber shops and hair salons across Pennsylvania have sparked controversy during the prolonged business shutdown. Many have risked crushing fines and license suspensions to defy forced-closure orders and serve their customers. Cindy Schindler, owner of Papillon Salon and Skin Care Center in Lemoyne, says salons could have been operating all along. “When we go to school, we spend many hours just learning about bacteria, illness, diseases,” she said. “We were highly trained in sanitization.” 

But Schindler can no longer serve her community no matter what safety measures she puts in place. She was forced to permanently close as Gov. Tom Wolf’s business shutdown, initially an understandable attempt to preserve public health in the face of uncertainty, has become mired in arbitrary rules and murky data. 

Working for health of long-term care residents

By Dr. Rachel Levine

The vision of the Pennsylvania Department of Health is a healthy Pennsylvania for all. This includes vulnerable populations like residents in rural communities and minority communities, as well as seniors and those living in skilled nursing homes. 

Since the start of the Wolf administration, we have made it a priority to improve the quality of care provided by the owners and operators of Pennsylvania’s skilled nursing facilities. Many of these facilities already provide excellent care to their residents, and we are continuously working to ensure the safety of every resident in their care through regular updates to guidance and regular inspections, including investigating every complaint. 

Forced Tolerance Is Intolerable. Time To Stand Up To The Leftist Mob.

When I was a little girl, I distinctly remember my wonderful loving mother consoling me if I was upset about something that someone did to me. I remember her saying, "I'm sorry." And I was confused and would say to her, "Why are you sorry. You didn't do it?" 

I grew to learn what she meant. She was sorry for me out of love, but not offering an apology for the act. These days the apology has turned into a brow-beaten confessional by people who capitulate to public bullying without hesitation only for their own self-preservation? 

But what are they really preserving? Certainly nothing of themselves. They have sacrificed themselves. So why are people afraid of their own beliefs? Why are they abandoning what they know to be the right thing?

Tom Wolf is No Longer Relevant

On August 7, 1974 Pennsylvania’s senior U.S. Senator Hugh Scott along with Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona and John Rhodes, then the House of Representatives Minority Leader, sat down in the Oval Office and informed President Richard M. Nixon that his support in congress had collapsed and that if he did not resign he would be impeached. Nixon resigned the presidency the next day.

It is rare that there is a specific day and place which can be pointed to as the end of an elected official’s relevancy. Governor Tom Wolf had his Richard Nixon moment on Wednesday, June 3rd when he took what he described as a “real gamble” and walked with protesters through the streets of Harrisburg. 

The “real gamble” had nothing to do with the governor taking his chances of getting COVID-19, rather the “real gamble” was with what left of his credibility – it is a gamble he lost. 

Wolf Administration Outlines Impacts of Ending Disaster Declaration

Today, the Wolf Administration outlined the potential impact of ending the March 6 disaster declaration while clarifying that the legislature cannot end it unilaterally. The disaster declaration aids in speeding up the state’s response to the pandemic and provides protections for businesses, workers and residents. Importantly, ending the disaster declaration would not end any orders issued by the Secretary of Health that set guidelines for business operations.

Last night, the General Assembly voted to end the disaster declaration with many members claiming their actions ended the business guideline orders. That is not true. Not only does any concurrent resolution need to come to the Governor for approval or disapproval, but the disaster declaration is separate from the orders signed by Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine under the Disease Prevention Act that include provisions for business reopening and for worker and building safety. Those orders remain in place. The legislature did nothing to end those.

Pa. Legislature Votes to End Gov. Wolf's COVID Disaster Declaration

Today, the Pa. Legislature passed a resolution (HR 836) to end Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 disaster declaration with bi-partisan majorities in both chambers. Legislators pushed the resolution forward after 2 months and 3 weeks of a shutdown defined by strict controls over information and the highest unemployment rate since the great depression.

“There is a continued need for the state government to respond to the health challenges caused by COVID-19,” said Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Nathan Benefield. “But the time for allowing Wolf to keep our local businesses and communities hobbled without input from the community or from their representatives has passed.”

On May 29th, Wolf admitted to not knowing the reasoning behind the data that his administration has used to justify shutting down small businesses and the stay-at-home order.

Senate Republican Leaders Comment on Senate Passage of Resolution to End Governor Wolf’s Business Shutdown Order

HARRISBURG – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-34) hailed Senate passage today of a resolution that would end Governor Wolf’s statewide shutdown, which they said is hurting families and doing irreparable harm to employers.

House Resolution 836 would end the executive order Wolf used to shut down businesses, which was issued on March 6 and renewed on June 3. Scarnati and Corman said the governor has used the emergency declaration to change and suspend state laws, spend state and federal taxpayer dollars without the approval of the General Assembly and prevent shuttered businesses from reopening with new safety measures in place.

Senators Scarnati and Corman offered the following statements on passage of House Resolution 836.

PA House Votes to End Governor Wolf’s Emergency Declaration

HARRISBURG – On behalf of the millions of Pennsylvanians who remain out of work and who are struggling every day to feed their families, pay their bills and protect their livelihoods, today the House passed a resolution to end the COVID-19 emergency declaration with bipartisan support.

“Since early March, Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth have dealt with the heavy hand of government as a result of this declaration,” House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Peach Bottom) said. “The governor has used the power afforded to him under this declaration without input from the Legislature, suspending state laws, spending money without legislative approval, and his most unfair action of all, shutting down the family-sustaining careers of millions of Pennsylvanians.”

Governor Tom Wolf Announces 16 More Counties Moving Into 'Green' Phase Next Week

Gov. Tom Wolf will lift most of his pandemic restrictions in another 16 counties that are home to nearly 3 million people across western and central Pennsylvania, including much of the Pittsburgh area.

The counties include Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clinton, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Lycoming, Mercer, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland.  These 16 counties will move next Friday to the so-called “green” phase, the phase with the fewest restrictions in the governor’s stoplight-colored three-phase reopening plan. 

The announcement comes as the first round of counties are entering the green phase today. 

Gov. Wolf Thanks Pennsylvanians for Their Part to Slow the Spread of COVID-19, Centre County to Move to Green

As part of a COVID-19 briefing, Governor Tom Wolf today thanked Pennsylvanians, including the Pennsylvania National Guard, for the many contributions to the pandemic response. He also announced that Centre County will move to green on Friday.

“I personally want to thank our National Guard members and their families for their work, especially during these trying times,” Gov. Wolf said. “Just like other families across the commonwealth, I know our military families are facing new challenges. Some are overcoming these challenges while coping with one parent being away from home due to a deployment to a COVID-19 site. That’s really showing the strength of these dedicated, courageous Pennsylvanians.”

Time to end Gov. Tom Wolf’s charade.

Pennsylvania residents are growing tired of Gov. Tom Wolf’s charade of dragging the Covid Virus “stay-at-home” orders on and on with no end in sight. Gov. Wolf continues to deny the efforts of our State House of Representatives to open for business. The residents of our Commonwealth have become an audience in a poor performance of a Harrisburg drama that is being played out at the Capitol, and directed by Gov. Wolf.

Our elected representatives are working to present legislation to Gov. Wolf to open small businesses safely and have appeared for this dress rehearsal for the last two months.

It’s time to reopen Pennsylvania

It has been nearly two months since Gov. Tom Wolf closed Pennsylvania’s economy and only days since he allowed portions of Pennsylvania to start to re-open under uncertain and confusing guidelines.

While every elected official’s top priority is the safety of those we represent, government must not needlessly inflict economic damage. Yet, that is exactly what is happening under Gov. Wolf’s prolonged shutdown order.

Gov. Wolf Adds Eight Counties to Yellow and 17 to Green on May 29, Remainder to Yellow on June 5

Furthering his plan for reopening Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf today announced eight additional counties will move to yellow and 17 to green, effective at 12:01 a.m., May 29. All remaining counties in red are expected to move to yellow by June 5 at 12:01 a.m.

The counties moving to yellow on May 29 include Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill.

Wearing a Mask is not Pennsylvania State Law

Upon being asked last week if wearing a mask is law in Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf responded, “I’m not a lawyer, so I don’t know what the issue is here, uh, if you want to stay safe, you ought to wear a mask…again, you can take that as something maybe, uh, has force of law.”

After six years in office, we would assume that the Governor understands how laws are created.

In fact, there is no law to wear a mask in Pennsylvania.

Laws are created by two legislative bodies – the House of Representatives and the Senate, who together form the General Assembly. As a member of the Pennsylvania Senate, no mask bill has crossed my desk. Just because our Governor thinks it into being, doesn’t mean he can snap his fingers and make it so.

PA Senator Doug Mastriano joins Tucker Carlson to discuss PA Secretary of Health

PA Senator Doug Mastriano joined Tucker Carlson Tonight to discuss PA Secretary of Health , Dr. Rachel Levine’s Covid-19 nursing home guidance. Levine required PA nursing and personal care homes to admit and re-admit patients who were positive for COVID-19.

Levine is directly responsible for directing nursing homes to accept virus-positive patients during the height of the outbreak in Pennsylvania. COVID-19 has killed more than 4,500 people in PA, and about 70% of those deaths were linked to these facilities.

Governor Wolf vetoes legislation that would ease some Covid-19 restrictions.

Governor Tom Wolf today vetoed three bills related to the state’s response to COVID-19 that violate the separation of powers and make other changes that go against the administration’s measured plan for reopening the state safely.

Senate Bill 327 would authorize counties to develop and implement their own mitigation plans and decide when businesses within their county can reopen and includes a provision that prohibits commonwealth agencies from performing an essential governmental operation, the promulgation of regulations, until 90 days after the COVID-19 disaster emergency declaration is terminated unless the legislature grants permission for a regulation to advance.

House Bill 2388 and House Bill 2412 would allow various industries to reopen in red phase counties.

“Since the beginning of this month, my administration has been gradually transitioning counties from the restrictive red phase to an intermediate yellow phase,” Wolf wrote. “The decisions to move counties from the red phase to the yellow phase are based on the advice of expert epidemiologists. These decisions are not based just on the number of cases of COVID-19, but are also based on other critical factors, such as how community members interact, the county’s number of potential transmission points, a county’s geographic location, the capacity to undertake contact tracing, and testing availability.”

Read the veto message for SB 327 here.

Read the veto message for HB 2388 here.

Read the veto message for HB 2412 here.

Armstrong County Coroner Calls Out Dr. Levine. Urges Attorney General to Investigate

Breaking News: Tonight in a post on the Armstrong County Coroner’s Facebook Page, Brian Myers, calls for PA Attorney General, Josh Shapiro to investigate the gross negligence Dr. Levine and her department has exhibited throughout this Covid-19 outbreak. Myers in the post below publicly questions the competency of PA Secretary of Health, Dr. Levine, and her department’s staff.