Chip Minemyer

By Chip Minemyer
The Tribune-Democrat

JOHNSTOWN, Pa.

As local business leaders and those who think big economic thoughts sit
down for dinner on Thursday, some will utter a word or two of thanks that a

Chip Minemyer

By Chip Minemyer
The Tribune-Democrat

I'm reminded today of how important it is to have balance.
Thanks to a traffic accident, my left arm is in a splint from the tips of my

By Chip Minemyer
The Tribune-Democrat

Freedom of speech is a strange and wonderful thing.
It allows a jackass to wave a monkey in front of cameras at the War Memorial
Arena in Johnstown and throw racial slurs at a presidential candidate.
And it allows idiots to wear T-shirts bearing the vulgar message "Sarah
Palin is a (C-word)" at a rally for the vice presidential candidate in
Philadelphia.
And freedom of speech ­-- guaranteed in the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution --­ is the cornerstone of our society.

By Chip Minemyer
The Tribune-Democrat

I had read the book sometime before. But when I spied a copy of "The
Burglar On The Prowl" on the discount rack of a chain bookstore, I couldn't
help myself.
I was quickly in line at the checkout area, the mystery novel clutched in my
grasp and some cash at the ready in my fingers.
But the bigger surprise came later, after I had gotten the book home.
Scrawled across the bottom of the title page was the signature of the writer
himself: Lawrence Block.
Could it be authentic, I wondered, the autograph of a very successful author

By Chip Minemyer
The Tribune-Democrat

JOHNSTOWN, Pa.

It's not surprising that national polls are showing that the economy is
listed by many people as the top political issue in the current election
season, given the current state of affairs on Wall Street and across the
country.
A new poll by Harris Interactive showed 54 percent of those responding
listing the economy as the top priority that government should address, up
from 43 percent a month earlier and well ahead of other issues:
Health care (21 percent).
The war on terror/Iraq and Afghanistan (17 percent).