Featured Commentary category, Page 26
Mary Ziegler: What antiabortion activists want next
The state of Texas filed a major lawsuit Dec. 12 against a New York doctor who mailed abortion pills to a Collin County, Texas , woman, arguing the doctor was practicing medicine without a Texas license and violating the state’s abortion ban. The suit raises messy legal questions about whether...
Rachel Marsden: Why does Musk get lambasted while Soros gets decorated?
One minute, he’s telling “subtard” online critics of his policy ideas to go “(expletive) yourself in the face.” The next, he’s fanboying for populist leaders at home and abroad. So what’s the problem with Elon Musk? Aside from his politics, that is. If Musk, the richest man in the world,...
Cal Thomas: Prison reform can save money
President-elect Trump and nominees for his upcoming administration often speak about cutting spending in order to reduce the debt. Some of the targets are familiar, but one that is never mentioned is the amount of money that could be saved by releasing, or not incarcerating in the first place, nonviolent...
Heather Lauer: ‘Dark money’ is not the boogeyman it’s made out to be
Among the big losers of the 2024 election were politicians and activist groups who claim so-called “dark money” is the secret force driving American politics. Groups that do not disclose their donors once again made up a small share of overall campaign spending and notched few notable victories. The results...
Peter Morici: U.S. needs a saner approach to immigration
Americans have been appalled by thousands of illegal immigrants — those granted temporary legal status or who crossed the border undetected — exacerbating homelessness and straining shelters, schools and social services budgets. President-elect Donald Trump promised aggressive deportations during his campaign, but he hardly has a mandate. He won the...
Bruce Yandle: We should stop waiting for the pre-covid economy to return
For those waiting and hoping to see the economy return to pre-covid levels of activity, recent employment data, while showing considerable strength, must be discouraging. The data are reminiscent of American novelist and playwright Gertrude Stein’s comment following a disappointing visit to her childhood hometown, where she had hoped to...
Lanhee J. Chen: Romney’s Senate exit marks an end to the bipartisanship Washington desperately needs
Mitt Romney delivered his farewell speech before the U.S. Senate in early December. It isn’t hyperbole to say it marked the end of an era. Romney’s decades in public service will be considered historic — he is the only American to serve as governor of one state and senator for...
Amir Sommer: Our words about Israel-Hamas war can add to hostilities — or help on path to peace
The language people use to talk about the Israel-Hamas war has power: It can contribute to misunderstanding and alienation, but it can also bring about appreciation for concepts that can seem impossible during this kind of conflict, such as peace. I was born to a Palestinian Arab father and an...
Point: Democrats have an opportunity to rebuild
As this historic 2024 political year comes to a close, many Democrats are crying in their eggnog. Not only did we fail to win back the House of Representatives (this prospect seemed likely in January), but we lost the Senate and frustratingly lost the White House again — and the...
Counterpoint: GOP disarray is a positive for Democrats
As Democrats look to 2025, several factors provide them with a sense of hope and optimism for regaining and maintaining political power. The landscape of American politics can be unpredictable, but the current climate offers promising avenues for Democrats to explore as they prepare for coming elections. One of the...
Sharon Pillar: Renewables reliable, economical
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is often referred to as insanity. As we enter our 4th consecutive year of wildly escalating electricity prices, it should be clear by now that what Pennsylvania has been doing in terms of energy is simply not working...
Cal Thomas: Lessons of 1925 for 2025
Political and other prognosticators are busy as usual predicting the future. Never mind calculating how wrong they have been in the past, our desire to know what’s coming sometimes overcomes sound thinking, ignorance of history and an understanding of human nature. Recall the number of times climate alarmists predicted we...
Chip Minemyer: Tired Sandusky taunts further insult victims of abuse
Why does chirping about a scandal that broke more than 13 years ago still give fans of Penn State’s football opponents such glee? A grand jury indictment in November 2011 accused former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky of sexually abusing young boys in his care. In 2012, he...
Marc Champion: Europe needs to swiftly fulfill its aid pledges to Ukraine
A note to Europe’s leaders: When it comes to sending sufficient aid to help Ukraine end Russia’s invasion, if not now, when? In October, I visited and wrote about a critical mine at Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, which had become the primary focus of Russia’s efforts to maximize the territory...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: A look ahead to what might happen in 2025
My prediction that President Joe Biden would drop out was a rare bright spot among last year’s not totally serious predictions. Undaunted, I try again by looking ahead to 2025: January — House reelects Speaker Mike Johnson on third ballot after he agrees to make Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene assistant...
Peter Morici: Biden’s gift to Trump — golden opportunity to supercharge the economy
President-elect Donald Trump returns to Washington with a golden opportunity to continue the country’s accelerated economic growth. Over the past eight years, U.S. GDP has increased 2.5% annually. This surpasses the 1.9% growth during the Bush-Obama years but trails the 3.2% performance of the Reagan-Bush-Clinton era. The current growth rate...
Allison Schrager: Make daylight saving time permanent? U.S. economy says yes
President-elect Donald Trump’s latest promise is to eliminate daylight saving time, which would mean putting the U.S. on standard time year-round. Billionaire DOGE bosses Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, meanwhile, seem to want to make daylight saving time permanent. Is this just a miscommunication? Or is the incoming administration as...
David M. Lantigua: At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was 17 years old when he first received his vocation to become a priest. It happened on Sept. 21, 1953 — the beginning of spring in Buenos Aires — during a spontaneous visit to the confessional, or what Catholics call the sacrament of reconciliation. This spiritual turning...
Point: The top 5 moments of 2024
For those on the right side of the political aisle, 2024 was a mixed bag. On the one hand, we had to trudge through the final year of Joe Biden’s disastrous presidency while fighting tooth and nail to prevent the administration from inflicting further economic carnage. On the other hand,...
Counterpoint: 5 signs our country isn’t lost
On the one hand, there’s no sugarcoating how progressives feel at the close of 2024: rough. Donald Trump won back the White House with a campaign that was openly bigoted and fascist. And from President Joe Biden’s backing of Israel’s ghastly war in Gaza to his ill-fated decision to seek...
John Wozniak: Seniors deserve alternatives to opioids for pain relief
In recent years, I have watched people I know try to navigate our health care system while seeking treatment for pain or recovering from surgery, and it has opened my eyes to the complexities and frustrations patients face when trying to access appropriate pain management. And it’s why I strongly...
Rachel Locke: Climate of fear is driving local officials to quit
Threats and harassment are pushing some politicians out of office, scaring off some would-be candidates and even compelling some elected officials to change their vote. Those are some of the conclusions of a new two-year study I led on political violence in Southern California. Rising threats against public officials is...
Jennifer Selin: What does the U.S. attorney general actually do?
Shortly after former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration to serve as U.S. attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would nominate Pam Bondi for the position. A former Florida attorney general, Bondi also worked for Trump as a defense lawyer during the first of his two impeachment trials....
Michael J. Zoosman: Will Biden become another Pontius Pilate this holiday season?
This year, the Jewish and Christian winter holidays are in cosmic synchrony. The evening of Dec. 25 — Christmas Day on the Gregorian calendar — falls on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev — the first night of Hanukkah on the lunar calendar. These popular festivals in...
Cal Thomas: Oh, Christmas tree!
When Washington politicians speak of a Christmas tree this time of year, they are not referring to an actual tree. It means they’ve loaded up a bill with another kind of “green,” the kind that’s decorated with money. The “bipartisan” bill passed just before midnight last Friday, minutes before a...
