Education badly needed
I had the privilege on Sept. 16 to host the House of Representatives’ Select Subcommittee on Technical Education and Career Readiness with a public hearing held at Steamfitters 420 union hall. This hearing was an important step in understating the best way to keep Pennsylvania competitive with family-sustaining jobs.
The committee heard testimony that shed light on a gap in the work force that Pennsylvania workers are unable to fill in the trades as well as other growing technical industries due in part to the baby boomer generation beginning to retire.
In order to meet the needs of employers, we must ensure Pennsylvanians have access to technical training that puts them on a path to obtain good paying jobs. While information from our panelists was enlightening and encouraging, it also served to promote the need for more educational resources geared toward preparing Pennsylvanians for the changing job force. The Finishing Trade Institute stood out for its college accreditation that allows apprentices to achieve a degree, “earn while they learn” and have a zero tuition cost. The Steamfitters are also following this trend and are working to have their apprenticeship program accredited.
This was the final hearing in a series held across the state where representatives can now take the information back to Harrisburg to develop policy that will ensure the success of future generations of Pennsylvanians. I am thankful to Rep. Grove who chaired the subcommittee and recognized the importance of hearing the voices of the trades, educational institutions and others in our area.
State Rep. Martina white
170th Lgislative District
Unemployment isn’t welfare
This is a response to James P. Cantwell’s letter to the Times on June 29. James, in your op-ed, you stated all of the families impacted by the Mondelez move were being “taken” care of by you and the rest of America. Jim, there is a tax that is withheld out of your paycheck every time you are fortunate to receive one,and that is employment compensation. This tax took care of me when I was out of work, and I am sure it helped out the workers who got dusted when the bakery shut its doors and moved south of the border. I never got a check in the mail postmarked with your name or address on it. It is not welfare. Nor, if collecting full unemployment, do you qualify for welfare.
Brian Collins
Modena Park
Reform needed at Somerton Civic
The zoning application heard at the Somerton Civic’s Sept. 13 meeting showed that the Civic needs to revise its procedures. Under the zoning ordinance that the city adopted in 2012, the Civic and organizations like it have become a formal step in the zoning process. The procedures the Civic uses when it considers zoning matters must be updated to reflect the obligations the Civic has to the people who appear before it.
The people who opposed the zoning application clearly doubted that they had been treated fairly. I can’t blame them for thinking that.
The procedures the Civic has long used in zoning cases were for the most part followed. Members acted in good faith. But our existing, unwritten procedures allow for inadequate notice and an unfair hearing.
Those procedures must change so both zoning applicants and affected property owners get the process that they are due. A lawyer appealing a zoning matter will eventually convince a court that his client was treated unfairly before a civic meeting if no procedural changes are made. The Civic could even be dragged into litigation as a result.
Following a different procedure might or might not have changed the result on Sept. 13. For the future, though, I plan to propose changes to ensure that participants are treated fairly. Perhaps other civics would also benefit from a reexamination of their rules.
Chris Bordelon
Somerton
Are you happy with things?
Are you happy with the economy, with the way the country is being run, the way our veterans are being treated, the $160 billion to Iran to build a bomb? Do you really believe the unemployment rate is 5-percent? Tell that to the people who are trying to find a job.
Illegals are streaming across the border; welfare with all the perks; food stamps for people who didn’t need them. Then there’s Hillary, who says she’s for women while the Secretary of State paid her male employees more than the women. Taking money from the Arabs who treat their women like dirt. Parade magazine says Hillary makes $250,000 a year. Has everyone forgot about her $225,000 speech fees? If it weren’t for Bill Clinton, you wouldn’t even know who Hillary is. What did she accomplish? If this sounds good to you, vote for Hillary and have four more years of Obama in a dress.
Fred Wollner
Holmesburg
