Featured Commentary category, Page 119
Matthew Brouillette: From political science to affective science
In April, Pennsylvanians got a lesson in “believing the science”— the political science, that is — driving Gov. Tom Wolf’s response to covid-19. From refusing to release data behind his shutdown order to ignoring requests for transparency on his business waiver process to closing Open Records offices to failing to...
Chad Forcey: Energy conservation is conservative
In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt addressed the nation’s governors with a call to consider impending challenges: “The time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted … if we do not exercise that...
Keith Williams: Unions want everyone to vote by mail, but won’t let their own members vote at all
In case you haven’t checked on labor unions in a while, you might still have an image of workers in squalid factories, forced to work night shifts or lose their job, who band together and strike for fair wages and safe conditions. But things have changed a bit since the...
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler: Trump built greatest American economy before. He’ll do it again.
Thanks to President Trump’s well-thought-out policy decisions since the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic, Americans should have confidence that better days are ahead. Policies the president enacted like the Payment Protection Program provided much needed relief for businesses affected by the coronavirus and brought Pennsylvanians back to work. The...
James Owens: A new era of transparency, safety in automated vehicle testing
One day, a fully automated vehicle may drive you to work, take your elderly parents to the doctor or deliver packages to your doorstep. With the appropriate testing, safety protocols and public trust, this transformational future could be sooner than you think. Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National...
Colleen Cook: In these uncertain times, parents need online education options
Amid the rapidly evolving coronavirus pandemic, parents continue to face new challenges when it comes to their children’s education. In a time where stay-at-home orders, social distancing and travel restrictions have become the new norm, parents have to make important — and potentially tough — decisions about their child’s education...
Devin Reaves: We can’t have black liberation without ending War on Drugs
As a black man in America, I live in constant fear, and as a leader of an organization that aims to end the war on drugs in Pennsylvania, I also have tremendous fear for people who use drugs — especially those of us who are black and brown. What we...
Michael Krancer: Clarifications to EPA’s cost-benefit analysis will protect Pa.’s environment and businesses
Recent history in Pennsylvania has shown that it’s possible to grow our energy economy and make important environmental gains. During my time as secretary of our state’s Department of Environmental Protection, for example, Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry grew significantly, created unprecedented job growth and lowered costs for consumers, while harmful...
Steve Bloom: Lawmakers right to end Wolf’s extended disaster declaration
Barber shops and hair salons across Pennsylvania have sparked controversy during the prolonged business shutdown. Many have risked crushing fines and license suspensions to defy forced-closure orders and serve their customers. Cindy Schindler, owner of Papillon Salon and Skin Care Center in Lemoyne, says salons could have been operating all...
Maj. Gen. Donna Barbisch: After domestic deployment, fearing for America’s soul
As a soldier for more than 38 years, I cannot imagine being ordered into the streets of America to use military force against protesters. The country I served is becoming unrecognizable. We need to slow down and take stock. We must acknowledge we are in a fight for the soul...
Matt Smith and Darrin Kelly: Invest in transportation and infrastructure for Pittsburgh region’s post-covid-19 future
As work continues in Washington, D.C., on future phases of the federal response to the pandemic, we are coming together — business and labor — to urge strong support for a robust transportation and infrastructure package. With unemployment heading to previously unimaginable levels and every country in a race to...
Jonah Goldberg: Abolishing police departments would make things so much worse
In these trying times, it’s difficult to find something to smile about. But I’ve found some modicum of mirth watching very sympathetic liberals go the extra mile to help hone the message of activists calling to “defund the police.” For instance, Katy Tur, an MSNBC anchor, had Isaac Bryan, the...
Dr. Rachel Levine: Working for health of long-term care residents
The vision of the Pennsylvania Department of Health is a healthy Pennsylvania for all. This includes vulnerable populations like residents in rural communities and minority communities, as well as seniors and those living in skilled nursing homes. Since the start of the Wolf administration, we have made it a priority...
David Kennedy: State Police holds troopers to highest standards
Pennsylvania state troopers don’t enlist for medals or to win popularity contests. Many of us grew up wanting to be troopers, proud to serve our communities and willing to lay down our lives if necessary. Since the formation of our department in 1905, our ranks have suffered 98 line-of-duty deaths....
Gillis Harp and P.C. Kemeny: That Confederate flag would have offended your great-great-grandfather
The U.S. Marine Corps decided recently to ban public displays of the Confederate battle flag. The generals explained that they took this strong action because the flag has “all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and practice groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps.” The same...
Brad Simpson: Attacks on journalists cross the line
There is always a line. A line that, when crossed, is a step too far. The police in Minneapolis on May 25 were doing their jobs until they crossed the line and George Floyd became a victim of police brutality that ended tragically with his death. Had those police officers...
Jason Lando: Cops and community must come together
What happened to George Floyd was inexcusable. The actions of Derek Chauvin and his fellow Minneapolis officers were shocking, and criminal. As a commander in the Pittsburgh police, I say that we must change the dynamic between cops and community. For everyone’s sake. Peaceful protests are a start. But it...
The Rev. Wayne Sautter: White people need to wake up
Watching recent events, I feel a need to express my view to someone. Let me offer some background. I am a white, 75-year-old retired pastor in the United Church of Christ. My father was a career policeman in Baltimore as I grew up. He was not a nice man and...
Cameron Barnett: 7 tips for white allies from a black Pittsburgher
Dear Potential White Ally, It’s me, your black friend/neighbor/co-worker/family member/acquaintance/person in the world. 2020 has been a lot to handle — an election year, a pandemic, economic depression, and now this. Brutal civilian and police killings of black Americans have punctuated the first half of this year. In Georgia, three...
Stephanie A. Jirard: Understanding black rage behind the riots
This first appeared in the Opinion section of PennLive.com. I teach criminal justice to a majority white audience of college students. My students are respectful, bright and very eager to do a deep dive into understanding diversity, an opportunity not often presented in their small, rural communities. As a black...
Rich Askey: To reopen our schools safely, Pennsylvania needs Congress’ help
In the months since covid-19 closed our schools, educators, parents, and students did a tremendous job transitioning from classrooms to kitchens and living rooms across Pennsylvania. Teachers continued teaching, and students continued learning — at a distance. This is far from the perfect way to educate our students. It’s not...
Gene Torisky: Why I marched
No one asked why I participated in the Greensburg and Latrobe rallies for George Floyd — not that I expected it. A few observers in Latrobe seemed to assume all 100 marchers were violent members of “the antifa.” I say this because of the matching “(expletive) antifa” T-shirts those onlookers...
Saleem Ghubril: A message for Pittsburgh region’s children — you are special and loved
It was Friday evening, May 29, the end of a rough week, but not yet the end of a challenging season that has caused all of us to be under lockdown. Mr. George Floyd was killed that week, another life taken while being black and male in America. I got...
Rosanne Granieri: Finding the goodness during pandemic
As we enter the green phase of the coronavirus pandemic recovery, I have reflected on the past few months. I listened to stories of families torn apart by the death of loved ones. I observed individuals and groups display false bravado as they ignored expert scientific advice, claiming invulnerability to...
The Rev. Randy Bush: What fills the space between us?
Dog walks are now both an excuse and a necessity. They are an excuse to get out of the house and walk around the neighborhood. And they are how we see other people during these days of “stay at home” orders and pandemic precautions. To the dog, the walks are...
