Cheer

The true test of a person’s character — of a community’s character — is what they do when disaster strikes.

Disaster struck Butler on Wednesday night, when torrential rains resulted in a violent flood that threatened lives and damaged or destroyed what will surely turn out to be millions of dollars in property on Butler’s west end.

The community’s response has been overwhelming: clothing and food drives, private citizens taking it upon themselves to volunteer their time and effort to help clean up the mess, neighbors who have never really talked to each other offering a helping hand.

And let’s not forget the mettle displayed by residents of West Brady Street and the surrounding area.

People are telling stories about residents risking their own safety to save people from a vehicle stranded in the floodwaters Wednesday night.

Teenagers who might otherwise be enjoying their summer vacations are covered in muck and mud as they help carry waterlogged possessions out of flooded basements.

There’s more we’re missing, and it would be impossible to detail every single act of goodwill and aid that’s been rendered in the 72 hours since Sullivan Run overran its banks and turned streets into car-clogged rivers.

But that’s a good thing. It’s a reminder that Butler won’t fracture when faced with disaster. It’s a powerful display of the values and character of this community.

Jeer

It’s somewhat less than shocking that the rating agency Standard and Poor’s has warned Pennsylvania that it faces yet another credit downgrade if it fails to improve its finances.

What is surprising — and actually refreshing — is that S&P’s notice didn’t mince words about the problems facing our state. It argued that our government is guilty of financial mismanagement and that it’s unlikely state officials will pass a balanced budget for the current fiscal year.

We concur wholeheartedly. There’s no indication that our elected officials are prepared to take the actions necessary to rectify Pennsylvania’s finances. Gov. Tom Wolf’s $1 billion tax package proposal was a non-starter with the GOP-controlled legislature, which has failed to put forward any responsible or sustainable proposals for how to deal with a $2.2 billion structural deficit.

Another credit downgrade to Pennsylvania — which already has one of the lowest credit ratings in the country after downgrades in 2012 and 2014 — would pile on millions in interest costs when Pennsylvania borrows money or tries to refinance its existing debt.

That’s not a necessary cost; it’s a tax lawmakers are imposing on Pennsylvanians so they can have the luxury of avoiding difficult decisions that would improve Pennsylvania’s fiscal health.

Cheer

We couldn’t disagree more with Sen. Pat Toomey about the viability of the U.S. Senate’s version of the American Health Care Act. He claims it will save Medicaid. We respond: what’s worth saving if you have to throw the disabled, children and the elderly under the proverbial bus in the process?

All that said, we like that Toomey finally emerged from the shadows Wednesday and confronted the health care debate at a public forum, answering questions about everything from medical marijuana to President Donald Trump.

In an age when many Republican members of Congress are hiding behind so-called “tele-town-halls” or simply refusing to hold public forums entirely, Toomey’s appearance was welcome and long-overdue.

There’s simply no excuse for refusing to meet face-to-face with the people who sent you to Washington to represent their interests. It seems Sen. Toomey finally got that message. We hope it trickles down to other members of Congress as well.