Voices of Central Pa

by Jordan Toronto

In mid-February, Voices had an exclusive interview with Joe Hoeffel, a Democratic candidate running for Governor of Pennsylvania. Hoeffel has served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania’s 13^th district, and is currently vice-chair for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

The paragraphs summarize the views expressed by Hoeffel in portions of the interview that are not directly quoted. They are not the options of Voices or of the writer.

Joe Hoeffel can see why voters are scared, in this unstable economy, but believes that makes it all the more important for the democrats in office to step up to the challenge.

“It’s understandable to me that democrats are demoralized,” said Hoeffel, “but I think that’s the wrong attitude for a democrat to have. We’re not going to win if we’re afraid of our own shadows.”

“I am the socially liberal, fiscally responsible candidate,” Hoeffel said. “I use those terms to advocate for the progressive center.”

According to Hoeffel, a government in the progressive center has values that are socially liberal and a balanced budget.

“Being fiscally responsible means paying the bills on time,” said Hoeffel, “and it can mean raising the revenue before putting the programs in place.”

Hoeffel believes that the most pressing issues to deal with in Pennsylvania right now are economic recovery, including a job creation program and community organization, improving public schools, and extending healthcare.

“The government needs to invest in people, in their education and in their healthcare,” Hoeffel said.

A fun slideshow of photos inside the Whitehouse, click the pic to start the show.

A great debate well worth watching - here's a fun snippet: "Okay, tort reform - I'm fine having a conversation about how you do tort reform. Right now we have 5 states that have (malpractice lawsuit) caps; not a single one of them have had insurance rates go down. You know why? Because the insurance companies are phonies, they get the cap and then they pocket the money.".

By Oliver Connery

While politicians frequently cite small businesses as the driver of innovation, economic growth, and job creation, funding for the 18 Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) in Pennsylvania was cut by 45 percent in the 2009-2010 PA state budget.

SBDCs offer free business consulting services and educational programs for new, inexperienced entrepreneurs and established small businesses. The Penn State SBDC serves Centre and Mifflin counties from its Innovation Park and Lewistown locations.

The Penn State SBDC has helped local entrepreneurs like Morley and Scott Wong of the Green Bowl, David Hellyer of Comfort Keepers, and Piezo Resonance with advice on accounting, business plan writing, and negotiating loans with banks. They even helped Rainbow Music with expanding their store and inventory.

The importance of new small businesses cannot be understated. Sixty to eighty percent of new jobs are created by small businesses that have 1-500 employees, according to the national SBDC website. These small businesses employ half of all employees, pay 44.7 percent of all payroll, and provide for 50 percent of the GDP.

In addition, they funnel the money they make back to other businesses by buying from others. They account for 74 percent of goods and services (including loans) purchased from the banking industry, 70.8 percent of the real estate market, and 65.3 percent of the advertising/promotion market, according to Entrepreneur Magazine.

Starting a small business is not easy. One-third of small businesses fail in their first two years, and after four to six years, sixty percent of small businesses will fail, according to figures from the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Dr. Nick Brink, Sarah Berndt and Maria Hewitt (from left to right) in Jama-Coaque pose. Photo by Jill Gomez

By Jill Gomez

Our dreams are the keys to learning about our deeper inner selves—or so Dr. Nick Brink of Coburn, Pa., believes. He has incorporated the study of dreams into his work as a clinical psychologist for much of his career, and currently facilitates groups—open to anyone who is interested in joining—in holding ancient shaman poses to strive for possible healing and understanding through an “ecstatic trance state.”

Brink is interested in determining just what sort of effect the ancient poses have on one’s ability to overcome illness and pain or to understand something hidden within the subconscious, and he’s currently writing a book on his findings based on the trance-like, dream experiences of others as well as his own.

For three years Brink has been following methods developed by the late Dr. Felicitas Goodman, who rediscovered these poses in the late 1990s while traveling in Mexico and who later set up the Cuyamungue Institute in New Mexico to continue her research into altered states of consciousness.

When Brink facilitates a group, he always participates himself. Over two years ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and felt hopeful that doing the poses regularly was beginning to have an effect on decreasing his PSA levels.

He hosts the shamanic posturing sessions in a light-infused upper story annex in his woodsy Coburn home, just over a tiny single-lane bridge across a mountain stream. On the walls of the room are drawings of eagles and bears; shelves are lined with ancient-looking statues and numerous books.