People who send text messages while driving deserve not only a jeer, but also a ticket. By opting for this distraction, they endanger not only themselves but also other motorists and pedestrians — as well as other people's property.

Texting, as well as talking on cell phones while operating a motor vehicle, should be banned by state law. The state General Assembly merits criticism for not passing such a law.

With no law currently in force, the state Department of Transportation has an opportunity to remind motorists young and old about the dangers of such distracted driving. However, the department has failed to seize that opportunity.

That must change.

The driver's license and vehicle registration renewal applications that are sent out by the state should include a reminder brochure — with statistics and a photo of an accident caused by such a distraction — to show the seriousness and consequences of the problem.

Fortunately, on the high school level, there are programs such as “Survival 101” available, which was presented to Butler High School students on Nov. 18 by Butler Township police officer Thomas Vensel.

One of the points Vensel made during that presentation was that texting is the worst kind of distraction, because it combines taking one's eyes off the road, one's hands off the wheel, and one's mind off what's ahead.

Unfortunately, like some young people with junior driver's licenses, too many adults are guilty of not acknowledging that fact — for some, with tragic consequences.

It's time for the General Assembly to address this serious problem, sooner rather than later.

Butler County's business diversity is reaping benefits on the unemployment front.As an article in last Monday's Butler Eagle reported, this county lost the least amount of jobs of any county in Pennsylvania from March 2009 to March of this year. The county lost just 0.1 percent of its jobs during that time.Erie County recorded the worst figure for those 12 months — 3 percent.Fortunately for this county, there is the continuous fast growth in the Cranberry Township area, which has allowed this county, statistically, to stack up better than most other areas of the commonwealth amid the deep recession that not only has affected Pennsylvania, but the rest of the nation.But there are many other important positive employment elements with which this county is blessed, such as AK Steel, Butler County Community College, Slippery Rock University, and businesses and industries in several industrial parks.All of those have had a hand in enhancing Butler County's prosperity despite what was — and is — happening on other Keystone State fronts.Peggy Weckerly, Butler County CareerLink administrator, who noted the diversity of the county's employment landscape with more than 4,800 employers, correctly summed up the local situation:“While the economy tanked and people lost their jobs or businesses closed, the net effect was that the majority of people in Butler County were able to get back to work through new companies that have opened or companies in Butler County expanding.”Many people, and agencies including the Community Development Corporation of Butler County and the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, have worked hard to improve the county's business and employment picture. Thanks to their hard work, this county continues to achieve what it has set out to do — and, to its credit, is determined to continue that effort.

Each year Butler's Spirit of Christmas Parade is successful because of the hard work and dedication of participants — and Santa's willingness to take a break from his Christmas Eve preparations to participate in the event.Friday's 46th edition of the parade — this year sponsored by the Butler Eagle and Butler County Ford — included, among its other holiday-themed elements, 19 floats by various groups and businesses. Children as well as adults spent many hours designing and building the floats, which were a credit not only to the resourcefulness of those involved, but also to the genuine, generous holiday spirit that they possess.The floats were consistent with the parade theme “Music and Magic of Christmas,” and they were framed with the exciting intent of making this year's floats a step above floats entered in prior years' parades.Besides embracing the holiday theme, the floats also reflected groups' and businesses' dedication to their community — attempting to lure as many people as possible to the downtown business district.In a number of instances, the floats were not a first-time effort. For example, the Butler Beauty School, whose float this year was titled “Butler Beauty School Magical White Christmas,” has been entering floats for about 20 years. Meanwhile, Cub Scout Pack 31 of West Sunbury, whose float this year was titled “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” has a decade-long record of entering Spirit of Christmas floats.Just like the parade provides a refreshing break for Santa, each year many local people regard the parade as a welcome break from the Black Friday shopping experience.And, the parade never has needed a few inches of snow on the sidewalks and streets to reflect the spirit of the season.Again this year, the parade was one in which the city could feel proud. Even Santa expressed that sentiment with his familiar “Ho, ho, ho — Merry Christmas.”