Before I get started on my main topics of discussion, just a reminder to all our hunters out there. If you’re lucky enough to tag that big buck you’ve been watching all summer, make sure you enter our Uncle Ron’s Monster Buck Contest. Webb Weekly’s very own Ron Mingle will be back to oversee the contest even though he has retired from his everyday work. Let’s make sure we keep him busy. I am proud to say the last two year’s winners have been young ladies. The details on how to get that big buck registered can be found on page *** within this week’s Fall Outdoor Guide. I’ll have much more on this as the PA hunting gets rolling.

I wish I could just talk about the great outdoors, or maybe high school or college football, but the calendar reads October. That makes it time for me to return to the political arena, and focus on what is happening in our great land prior to the elections.

First stop, the City of Williamsport, and the upcoming mayoral election. The candidates Mr. Eric Beiter and Mr. Derek Slaughter recently had a debate. Many told me it was boring and not hotly contested. Well, a tip of my Webb Weekly cap to both gentlemen. Upon viewing the event, I thought it was exactly what a debate should be. It was an educational discussion by two intelligent gentlemen on who they are, where they stand, and why they want to be mayor.

I hope they continue down the campaign trail with the same approach. It’s a shame the idea of a debate has become opposing political candidates rolling around in the mud, trying to come up with the best sound bite and personal attack against fellow candidates. There is no doubt in my mind that both City Councilman Slaughter and local Businessman Beiter are the types of people needed to guide Williamsport into the future. My hope is they bond over the upcoming election, and work together no matter who wins. The City wins if they leave all the mudslinging and negativity to all those Washington self-important blowhards.

Next up, the Lycoming County Commissioner offices. I’ve stated several times that local government has more effect on our everyday life than anything happening in Harrisburg or Washington. This a perfect example. There are some big time budget and social issues to be addressed by whoever represents the people as County Commissioners. The general public often overlooks the importance of this job. The hottest topics still seem to be the White Deer Golf Course and the drug/opioid/heroin crisis. The financial burden this puts on the local law and order budget cannot be overstated. The hidden cost created for emergency services, programs to help addicted individuals, and preventative education drain county resources. I’ll have more on this in the near future.

Next stop Harrisburg. I must compliment Governor Wolf, and all currently seated, on recently passing the state budget. I think it was a great example of financial responsibility and compromise coming together at the state level of government. I also think the elected Republican officials have done a great job protecting the citizens of Pennsylvania from the governor and what the liberal left really wants to do to the taxpayers of PA.

The battle lines in Harrisburg couldn’t be any more defined. The liberal Democrats want more government and a greater tax burden on the working middle class than ever before. Just the thought of a $15 minimum wage in the state of Pennsylvania could collapse small business and the state economy. The statewide funnel of tax dollars to Philadelphia must stop, and not be increased.

The Liberals are again barking up the wrong tree in regards to gun control in the Keystone state. Pennsylvania’s laws in regards to gun purchases and ownership are some of the best in the Nation. There is, however, always room for improvement, but attacking the law-abiding citizens’ 2nd Amendment rights is definitely not the answer. We need more education, training, and the identification of those mentally imbalanced enough to kill innocent people. The latter will always be something that needs to be identified by the people in closest contact with a possible perpetrator. It will take the vigilance of parents, friends, teachers, and co-workers to prevent future mass shootings. “We the People” need to identify and speak up about a possible shooter before the event occurs. If a person has reached the mental point of justifying the killing innocent, unarmed people, they are probably going to attempt to carry out the action. Whether it’s by bullet, bomb, or bumper, they are not in the frame of mind where they will follow any laws.

I can’t believe anybody was surprised by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declaring a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump. You could see that one coming a mile away. The Democratic Party has come to the realization they are in dire straits when it comes to winning the 2020 Presidential election. So, they have now switched to an “if you can’t beat ’em, impeach him” strategy.

The only thing that will keep President Trump from being re-elected is, well, you guessed it, President Trump. If I were advising the Democrats on how to beat President Trump, I would simply tell them to appeal to his vanity. Encourage him to buy himself another cell phone so he can communicate with both hands, suggest all his tweets and messages be posted on national television for the good of the Nation, have Hollywood provide him with a daily reality show. Then just sit back and watch the implosion. There’s nothing in his past that will cost the President the Oval Office. It will take something he says or does in his narcissistic future.

God Bless America.