Editorials from around Pennsylvania

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AS IF WE NEEDED IT, HERE’S MORE PROOF THAT IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES ADD TO THE AMERICAN AND LOCAL FABRIC, Nov. 28

Here’s something to think about as a new presidential administration contemplates pulling up the gangplank to opportunity for the refugees and immigrants who still clamor to our shores:

In … Lancaster County, foreign-born residents were singlehandedly responsible for $1.3 billion of the county’s $25 billion economic activity in 2014.

That’s according to a new study by a group called New American Economy that was jointly conducted with the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce and the Lancaster County Refugee Coalition.

Here’s the key line from the report, which found that Lancaster County’s population of 23,094 immigrants and refugees had a huge impact on the local economy “through their high rates of workforce participation, large tax contributions, and spending power.”

Among other things, the study concluded that the county’s foreign-born population paid $52.5 million in state and local taxes in 2014; $103.3 million in federal taxes; $62.8 million in Social Security contributions and $16.4 million in Medicare contributions.

Foreign-born Lancaster residents also had $440.5 million in spending power, or about 4.3 percent of the entire Lancaster metro region’s spending power, the study found.

To be clear, this isn’t about giving a free pass to those who enter the country illegally or not thoroughly vetting refugees from regions where terrorism and violence are a fact of life.

In fact, data analysis showed many of the foreign-born residents who set roots in Lancaster County have become naturalized as of 2014. There were 13,570 immigrants who are now naturalized citizens, meaning 58.8 percent of the foreign-born population had naturalized as of 2014.

Of the 9,524 remaining residents, 3,698 are eligible for naturalization. Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Germany and Cuba are the top five countries from which people emigrated to come to Lancaster County.

But since it’s impossible to tell, simply by looking at someone whether they have entered the country legally or illegally or might harbor ill will toward America, it is about setting the right and welcoming tone for these newcomers.

If there’s one thing we know is true from the recent presidential election, it is that foreign-born Americans and Americans of color sometimes felt singled out and unsafe. Lancaster County went 57 percent for President-elect Donald Trump, who raised the specter of mass deportations and a Muslim registry on the campaign trail.

But guess what happens when immigrants and refugees are welcomed into the community instead of being viewed with suspicion and fear?

They stay and build businesses.

According to the study, 1,081 immigrants in Lancaster County are self-employed and their businesses generated $37.7 million in 2014.

That’s a future worth building by encouraging them and their children to stay:

“If Lancaster retains one-half of its international students after graduation with bachelor’s degrees or higher, 98 local jobs will be created within six years,15 boosting the county’s real GDP by $19 million in 2014 terms within the next 30 years, and increasing its population by 766 people within the next 50 years,” the study concluded.

Americans are rightfully proud of being part of a nation of immigrants.

The story of Lancaster County and the vibrancy brought to Central Pennsylvania by a new generation of immigrants is a vivid reminder of that legacy and of our shared responsibility to make sure that immigrants continue to feel welcomed among us.

—pennlive.com

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THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD: SEND IT TO THE SENATE, Dec. 7

Reports that President-elect Donald Trump is backtracking on his skepticism of man-made global warming and his criticism of the Paris climate accord are unfounded, insists his incoming chief of staff. Rather, “He’ll have an open mind about it,” says Reince Priebus.

Good. He can begin by opening the door that President Obama slammed shut when he bypassed Senate ratification of the international climate agreement. Make no mistake: This is a treaty with costs and ramifications. As such, it should be submitted to the Senate for “Advice and Consent” under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution.

In taking a unilateral route, Mr. Obama and the Democrats “overstepped their bounds and cement as legitimate the reasons for skepticism” of an accord that’s been foisted on this nation, writes Thomas Lifson for the American Thinker.

Never mind Obama’s egregious approval, by executive fiat, of what proponents admit is a legally binding agreement.

Aside from the accord’s altruistic emission-reduction goals - and lingering doubts as to whether these would make any meaningful difference in world temperatures - there’s an unambiguous financial commitment for those countries that have signed on: reportedly $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries meet their “climate goals.”

That consideration, alone, should have sent this entangling pact before the Senate, where it belonged. It is now Mr. Trump’s responsibility to restore constitutional order.

—triblive.com

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RETIREE’S HONESTY RAISES HACKLES, Dec. 6

Many of us have been told that honesty is the best policy and the truth will set you free.

Michael Stuban applied those tenets to his exit survey when he retired from his midlevel manager position with the Pennsylvania Turnpike after 35 years of service.

He noted that he liked his job, but the turnpike commission was run by “out of touch” executives, which resulted in low morale among workers.

“Jobs/promotions are filled by the politicians, (and) it’s who you know, not what you know,” Stuban wrote. “Positions (are) created for people who are not qualified.”

His comments, which he emailed not only to the human resources department but to more than 2,000 colleagues when he hit the “reply all” button, attracted the wrath of Turnpike Commission Chairman Sean Logan, a former state senator.

Logan wrote back, also hitting the “reply all” button, that he was glad he never made the acquaintance of Stuban.

“He did miss the point,” Stuban said. “If it was an effective company and someone told you there are problems and no morale, you don’t have to believe me, but maybe someone should check into it.”

Some may say Stuban crossed the line with his “reply all” response. Others may praise him for his brutal honesty.

Perhaps now that word of low morale among the employees has gotten out, Logan may want to look into the claim and explore options to fix that problem and the other allegations.

In the future, the turnpike commission might want to conduct exit interviews face to face.

—The (Johnstown) Tribune-Democrat

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LET NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL DETERMINE FUTURE CLINTON COURSE, Dec. 3

President-elect Donald Trump may be trying too hard to put election campaign bitterness behind us.

Trump has said he does not want to pursue criminal charges against former opponent Hillary Clinton.

But Clinton’s misdeeds were not limited to the email scandal with which many people are familiar. Clinton put national secrets at risk by her illegal handling of emails, FBI Director James Comey said.

Comey would not recommend Clinton be prosecuted, however. He explained he did not believe she meant to jeopardize national security.

Other people have been prosecuted and punished for such negligence, of course, even though they clearly meant no harm.

But her abuses, many involving her husband, former President Bill Clinton, go beyond the email scandal.

It is known that while secretary of state, Clinton and some of her aides were involved in conflicts of interest regarding the Clinton Foundation. That allegedly charitable organization has been a source of power for the Clinton family, which raked in millions of dollars for the foundation solely because of Hillary Clinton’s position as secretary of state.

Many foreign government and corporate leaders who wanted contact with Clinton learned they would get preference by making donations to the foundation.

Worse was a conflict in which the State Department raised no objection to a deal allowing Russia’s atomic energy agency, Rosatom, to gain control over uranium assets in several countries, including the United States - after donations were made to the foundation.

Little if anything has been said publicly about an investigation into that aspect of the Clintons’ wrongdoing.

Trump is correct that Americans need to move on from acrimony based solely on politics.

But the Clintons’ misdeeds revolving around the foundation were too severe, too blatant and too prolonged to be dismissed on the excuse of moving on.

The best course would be for Trump to allow his next attorney general - he has nominated Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions - to determine the future direction of the matters involving the Clintons, the email server misuse and the Clinton Foundation practices as they relate to our government.

A complete review and recommendations of these matters by the next attorney general should determine what happens next.

—Williamsport Sun-Gazette

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