Cheer

We said last month that District Attorney Richard Goldinger’s filing to seize an American Avenue home as “derivative contraband” of illicit drug trade would teach us a lot about how local law enforcement intended to use Pennsylvania’s asset forfeiture statute.

It has done just that. This week Goldinger announced he had given the homeowners a chance to sell the property, pay $5,000 for the cost of the drug investigation into their property, and walk away from the matter.

This result is an interesting middle ground that allows Goldinger to achieve his goal — taking a hub of drug activity out of play — and the homeowners a chance to avoid forfeiting the total value of the home.

It’s good to see Goldinger applying the forfeiture statute with inventiveness. That’s what using this deeply flawed law requires.

Jeer

Members of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee surprised everyone on Wednesday when members voted 32 to 30 to approve a measure that would mandate women register for the draft.

The logic — that the draft is “sexist” given recent policy changes that allow women to serve in all combat roles — may be unimpeachable. But the underlying assumption is anything but.

The committee would be better served by debating why this country needs a draft at all. America’s military is the most professional and powerful in the world precisely because it has been built on the backs of volunteers who dedicate their lives to protecting us.

“The bar would have to be dramatically lowered if we were to return to conscription again,” said Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colorado.

He’s absolutely correct. The United States has the most powerful and elite military in the world for a reason. The House risks compromising that by toying with this misguided discussion.

Cheer

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had some wonderful news for the country on Thursday: the birth rate among American teenagers has fallen to an all-time low, according to an analysis of teens between the ages of 15 and 19.

The precipitous drop came across all ages, races and regions of the country. But the largest happened among Hispanic and black teens, whose birth rates have dropped nearly 50 percent since 2006.

There is much discussion of the cause behind the decline, but experts agree on two major catalysts.

First, teens today have better access and more convenient contraception than ever before, and more of them are taking advantage of things like injectable and implantable methods of birth control.

Second — and more astounding — is the fact that teens today are actually having less sex. That’s because of changes in social norms over the past 20 years that have made the idea of abstinence or delaying sex more acceptable to teens.

This news is remarkable and cause for celebration, but the fact is that we have much more to do on this issue. Birth rates for Hispanic and black teens are still twice as high as those for white teens. In some states, the difference is three times higher. Let’s build on our two decades of good work and drive these numbers even lower.