Shawn and Jennifer Ireland and family, of the Slippery Rock area, provided a special holiday touch to the county courthouse property by way of their donation of a large Christmas tree erected in front of the courthouse.

And in addition to adding another dimension to the downtown's holiday decorations, the tree, by way of its patriotic-style decorations, also was made into a resource for honoring those now serving in the military as well as those who have served in the armed services in the past.

As well as acknowledging the Irelands' holiday gift to the people of this county, a sign in front of the tree expresses thanks to Cornerstone, which provided the boom truck that was used to erect the tree, and to Campbell Tree Service, Bronder Technical Services and Fuellgraf Electric Co., all of whom had a part in installing and decorating the tree.

Those involved in providing and readying the tree deserve praise for their success in making available something special for the entire community to enjoy, as well as people passing through or visiting.

It was a nice touch that deserves repeating in the future.

Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal to end parole for repeat violent offenders makes sense.Under the governor's plan, repeat violent offenders who use a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime would receive flat sentences without parole. Currently, sentences are meted out as a time span, and offenders are eligible for parole after serving the minimum.Under the governor's proposal, once an offender serves the flat sentence, he or she then would be subject to a five-year supervision period by the parole board. Violators would be sent back to prison.Rendell also wants the parole board to place greater weight on convicts' offenses, as opposed to their time in prison, when making release decisions. It's a response to some violent offenders "gaming the system" — behaving well and taking prison classes so they can be released early.It's reasonable to believe that lawmakers, when they begin debating the governor's plan, might decide to make some modifications — and that might be OK, as long as the proposal isn't diluted.However, what the governor is suggesting is a solid proposal meriting expeditious consideration.The state currently is evaluating the cases of repeat violent offenders now on parole for less than five years to determine whether their supervision is adequate, given their criminal histories. That evaluation should help lawmakers make a more informed decision when they vote on Rendell's plan.But based on information now available, this plan by the governor is a good one. The only losers would be the repeat violent offenders who should be spending more time in prison and under the terms of other supervision — not less.

In these troubled economic times, it is tempting to criticize federal judges' plea for a cost-of-living pay increase, when so many Americans are receiving little or no raises, and sometimes even losing fringe benefits.U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said Dec. 31 that Congress should be as generous to judges as it already has been to itself, by approving an inflation-related pay increase.Members of Congress are getting a 2.8 percent pay boost this year, worth about $4,700. On the six occasions before now that lawmakers denied judges a cost-of-living pay increase, they also declined one for themselvesNot this time.While it's true that judges knew what their pay would be when they agreed to serve, it's also true that lawmakers were aware of what they would be paid when they sought office. Like so many of their constituents, lawmakers too should experience some of the pain of the economic downturn.If lawmakers believe the times are too bad to grant a pay raise for judges, they should be having second thoughts about accepting one for themselves.That they haven't embraced such an attitude, at least not in a visible way, makes them more worthy of a jeer than the judges, who have no power over their pay scale.Roberts was right in calling for fairness; he just didn't choose the right time to make his request.