Featured Commentary category
Cal Thomas: Feeding the government pig
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and I don’t mean Christmas. It’s the time when Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) releases its annual “Congressional Pig Book Summary,” exposing some of the most outrageous, ridiculous and in many cases unconstitutional spending one can imagine. I guarantee you won’t...
Matt K. Lewis: ‘Trump 2028’ could be a vote for Ivanka, Eric or Don Jr.
With President Donald Trump continuing to tank in the polls, the parlor game we know as “2028 Republican primary speculation” is back in full swing among the chattering classes. Vice President JD Vance — who would normally be considered the heir apparent, and who just happened to make a campaign...
SpearIt: Digital genocide and disaffection among the religious right
There is a great reckoning occurring in America today. It involves the destruction of Palestine, which in turn, is destroying faith among the religious right — destroying faith in Israel and Christian Zionism. In the last several years there has been a remarkable turn of events that has soured many...
Mikki Washburn: Pa. needs medical aid in dying legislation
My husband, John Washburn, endured months of pain from a rare form of cancer before his death in September 2022. He wanted the option of medical aid in dying, which I have been advocating for and will continue to do so for all the citizens of Pennsylvania. Medical aid in...
Ronald L. Hirsch: Death with dignity — a person’s right to choose life or death
There is much debate around the world regarding physician-assisted dying legislation — often called “Death with Dignity” — and expanding the circumstances in which it is applicable. Eight countries and 19 states already permit it in some form. It is controversial for many reasons. Part of the controversy stems from...
Julie Platt: We must stand up to RFK’s reckless vaccine policies
Over the past year, I’ve witnessed a troubling trend as, under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has spread and fueled confusion and misinformation around vaccines and immunizations. Last month, Kennedy finally faced Congress — and his testimony before the House...
James Weinstein: How the waste in healthcare drives the U.S. debt
Washington treats healthcare spending like a moral obligation and interest payments like an accounting nuisance. They’re linked: Federal spending that is wasted in the healthcare system forces higher taxes or more borrowing, leaving less money for Medicare, defense or anything else. To slow deficit spending and the ballooning costs of...
Kevin Walker: How to save billions in energy bills
Groceries, rent, gas, childcare. Everything costs more these days, leaving many families struggling to pay their bills every month. The surging price of generated electricity is adding to this tremendous financial burden. As Duquesne Light Company is responsible for seeking the lowest-priced power for our more than 600,000 customers in...
Dwight Boddorf: America at 250 — the republic will be won or lost on your street
In 2026, the United States turns 250 years old. Pennsylvania will be at the center of that celebration, as it should be. The ideas that became America were debated here, printed here and defended by ordinary people who believed self-government was worth the risk. But as we celebrate, we should...
Frederic J. Fransen: How the American Revolution created a great trading nation
We think of wars as conflicts between militaries, decided by force. However, as the German military theorist Carl von Clausewitz famously said, “War is … an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will.” We see this in the current conflict with Iran. The United States has...
Lisa Jarvis: Psychedelics’ trip to mainstream medicine comes with risk
The White House directive to put psychedelics on a regulatory fast track is at once welcome and worrisome. The attention to psychedelics is overdue, and there’s a real opportunity to build a stronger scientific base for a promising field. Yet this area of medicine also demands extra care — or...
Paul Hardart: The Ted Turner I knew bet on what others missed
Ted Turner died Wednesday at 87, and the world feels a little less interesting, a little less imaginative and a little less fun without him in it — but also a lot better off because he was here. After hearing the news of his passing, one moment came to mind...
Ron Klink: Democrats should go bigger on insurance reform
Healthcare costs are crushing Americans. The average premium for an employer-sponsored family health plan now exceeds $26,000 a year — and families are then still on the hook for ever-higher deductibles and out-of- pocket bills. Nearly four in 10 Americans have delayed or skipped care because they couldn’t afford it. When...
Sheldon H. Jacobson: The ‘need for speed’ is slowing us down
Summer will soon arrive, and people will take advantage of warmer weather and more outdoor events. Indeed, our highly connected digital economy places a premium on getting things done fast. That is why smartphones are the primary tool many use to plan and interact, with texting the preferred method of...
Scott L. Bohn: Good intentions, flawed policy in Allegheny County’s police ordinance
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed ordinance concerning restrictions on face coverings and mandatory personal identification requirements for law enforcement officers within Allegheny County. While I appreciate the intent to promote transparency and maintain community trust, the proposed approach raises serious concerns regarding officer safety,...
Thomas Kelly: Promoting civic literacy for America’s 250th
We Americans have always felt anxious about our democracy. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, ours is only “a republic, if you can keep it,” and we’ve been plagued by a nagging feeling ever since that we can’t. The latest bout of handwringing is brought on by declining literacy and the...
Jonah Goldberg: Some MAGA loyalists have turned on Trump. Why the rest haven’t.
I recently watched “A Face in the Crowd” for the umpteenth time. I had a better reason than procrastination to rewatch Elia Kazan’s brilliant 1957 film exploring populism in the television age. It was homework. I was asked to discuss it with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz at the...
Mary Ellen Smith-Glasgow and Kymberlee Montgomery: America relies on nurses, so why are we limiting their future?
As we mark National Nurses Week May 6-12, the country will do what it does every year. We will thank nurses for their contributions. We will celebrate their compassion. We will call them heroes. Nurses have been ranked the most trusted profession in America for 22 consecutive years. No other...
Solomon D. Stevens: 3 things we can learn from the Declaration of Independence
As a people, we feel lost. Our political life is full of division and animosity. Our society struggles to find its sense of meaning. Violence erupts far too often. And beyond our borders, we find ourselves embroiled in conflicts with enemies and allies. We are a nation divided and adrift....
Cal Thomas: Who is monitoring the debt?
People of a certain age will recall a lyric from the Tennessee Ernie Ford song “Sixteen Tons”: “Another day older and deeper in debt.” I thought of that song as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth asked Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion budget for fiscal year 2027 to put the...
Erwin Chemerinsky: Supreme Court’s decision against Voting Rights Act will be devastating
The Supreme Court has again dealt a devastating blow to voting equality in the United States. On Wednesday, in Louisiana v. Callais, six justices effectively nullified a 1982 federal statute that prohibits states from running or establishing election systems, such as election districts, that have a discriminatory effect against voters...
David M. Drucker: Money can’t buy you voters’ love
No amount of advertising money can sell a bad product — or at least, a product that consumers have determined they don’t want (see: New Coke). This time-tested business principle also applies to American politics. That’s helpful to remember as midterm elections proceed. The Democratic and Republican parties, their candidates...
Stephen L. Carter: Free speech means Kimmel has the right to ridicule you
Here’s one of those remarkable coincidences: Immediately after the president and first lady called for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be kicked off ABC’s air after he made a cruel joke at their expense, the entirely independent investigators over at the Federal Communications Commission, in an entirely unrelated move, have...
James Stavridis: Hungary’s shift unlocks new opportunities for NATO and Ukraine
The ousting this month of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a landslide electoral defeat has generated a flood of commentary. Much of it has been about the implications for far-right populism in Europe. Others have focused on the potential impact to U.S. politics, given the close ties of President...
James Alwine and Elizabeth Jacobs: Let’s get ready for the next pandemic
Nobody wants to think about it, but another pandemic is inevitable. We don’t know when, but it is coming, and could well kill millions when it arrives. Pandemics are existential threats to society and our way of life. In the past 108 years, novel viruses with pandemic potential have arisen...
