On the passing of a union leader — and political powerhouse
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
Sad news this week with the passing of Dave McLimans, president of the Chester County AFL-CIO Council.
I’ve been lucky enough to know Dave for a couple of decades — he was the living example of “gruff, but lovable.” As the leading voice for union workers in the county, he was a key player in county Democratic politics.
But he was more than that,...
Immigrants don’t deserve hate, they deserve love and support
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
It’s hard to watch the events of the last few days and not be shocked and disappointed. Violent, hateful rhetoric continues to poison our national conversation and the daily lives of the people of Springfield, Ohio and some western Pennsylvania communities.
It’s not the first time Americans have been turned against immigrants, seen racial tensions...
If you’re complaining about DEI, you don’t get the idea of America
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
You’re probably hearing a lot about “DEI” again these days — fueled in part in attempt to some discredit Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for President.
You’ll be shocked to know I have thoughts.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. That’s what DEI stands for. What some of the people using it as a scare tactic are really saying is “White,...
Letter: Silent conservatives need to speak out or death of democracy will be on you
To The Editor:
This is not about Donald Trump. It’s not even about the sad souls seduced by him. The insurrectionists who stormed the Capital to prevent the peaceful transfer of power were primarily guilty of being gullible. They fell for the big fraud. They did not do the defrauding. Many have been held accountable for their actions. Most of the ones who fooled them have not. Yet.
I...
Why do some people want you to hate people who are just like your ancestors?
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
For nearly 200 years, Americans — okay, some Americans — have ranted, attacked and complained about immigrants. As immigration literally helped turn this country from an agrarian backwater to a superpower, it was always foolish.
But the recent verbal assaults by the likes of Donald Trump (ironically, the son of an immigrant), aside from being reprehensible...
Letter: True conservatives believe in democracy and the rule of law
To The Editor:
Beware of people who are oblivious to the obvious. People who lose an election, and believe they won. Not based on evidence. But based on what they “feel.”
I am a Conservative. Many Republicans today delude themselves by calling me a RINO (Republican In Name Only). True Conservatives believe in the Constitution, Democracy, and the rule of law. Donald Trump only believes in himself....
When one side can’t argue with facts, it’s easy to find oneself getting angry
By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times
Am I angry? Well, I guess I am but more than that, I am concerned at the inability of those who want to deny history, science and the rights of others to really participate in a discussion about what they believe
For the far-right, it seems name-calling and hurling emojis has replaced explaining your positions, or why you disagree with someone.
I have had more...
While far-right, big-money school board candidates struggled in the primary, it was just a rehearsal for Nov.
By Rich Heiland, Columnist, The Times
SOME QUICK REFLECTIONS…..on our recent primary elections…
Schools…The billionaires who poured money into area school board races to try to turn public education into a straight, white Christian Nationalist brain-washing experience ought to be a bit disappointed. Granted, this was only a primary and the real test will come in November, but Tuesday’s results...
Why was there a Blue Wave in Pennsylvania?
By Mike McGann, Editor, the Times @mikemcgannpa
By now we’ve all had a bit of time to digest the election results — in terms of Pennsylvania and Chester County — it was a very good mid-term election for Democrats, sweeping the statewide races, taking control of the state House of Representatives and holding all of their Congressional seats.
As you may know, the party in control of the White House...
When life refocuses you on what really matters