Featured Commentary category, Page 47
Steven Hill: The election may turn on inflation, but do we even understand it?
How big of a role will inflation play in the upcoming presidential election? That’s anybody’s guess, but one thing is certain: Democrats will cite facts and statistics that they hope will lead voters to think inflation is under control, while Republicans will focus on facts and statistics that counter the...
Chris Cargill: Bringing transparency to the cost of college
Is the cost of college still worth the price? According to the Education Data Initiative, the average student loan debt in the United States totals $37,338. The average student borrows more than $30,000 to pursue a bachelor’s degree. And more than 45 million Americans have student loan debt. High school...
Michael J. Socolow: How you can tell propaganda from journalism — let’s look at Tucker Carlson’s visit to Russia
Tucker Carlson, the conservative former cable TV news pundit, recently traveled to Moscow to interview Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for his Tucker Carlson Network, known as TCN. The two-hour interview itself proved dull. Even Putin found Carlson’s soft questioning “disappointing.” Very little from the interview was newsworthy. Other videos Carlson...
Counterpoint: Ukraine can no longer win
As the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country to its west passes and the latest aid package for Ukraine stalls in Congress, we must be clear-eyed about the future: There is no path for Ukraine to win this war. American support will not change this reality. Two...
Point: Ukraine can win — here’s how
Ten years into Russia’s long war against Ukraine, far too many Americans are falling prey to a destructive idea. They needlessly believe that Ukraine’s defeat is unavoidable. These Americans have lost their bearings. Defeat is never inevitable so long as a nation is willing to fight. George Washington proved this...
Michael Stelzig: No need to worry about national security in U.S. Steel deal
Anyone familiar with national security knows that Japan is an important mutual defense treaty ally to our country. And anyone familiar with Pittsburgh and Allegheny County knows how important the steel industry has been to this region. Just over two months ago, we witnessed these two worlds coming together —...
Cal Thomas: The new American antisemitism
In the aftermath of “from the river to the sea” anti-Israel protests on many college campuses and in the streets comes a perfectly timed book by Johns Hopkins University professor Benjamin Ginsberg titled “The New American Anti-Semitism: The Left, The Right, and the Jews.” Ginsberg is especially hard on progressives...
Pete Shelly: Equal treatment for skill games
As lawmakers consider Gov. Josh Shapiro’s timely proposal to tax and regulate skill games, they would be wise to follow the blueprint of one the nation’s most successful state gaming industries — and they won’t have to travel far to find it. Over the last 20 years, Pennsylvania has emerged...
Kenny Mostern: Summer Lee standing up for the vulnerable
Polls have shown since at least November that a clear majority of Americans support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The most recent data, from research by ISPU and Data for Progress, is stark: • 63% of the general public support a permanent ceasefire against only 16% opposed. • 78% of...
Ed Gainey: What we learned from Fern Hollow
When I woke up on the morning of Jan. 28, 2022, I was prepared for our city to be the focus of the nation with a visit from the president of the United States. But just weeks into my administration as mayor, we were met with one of our biggest...
Cory Yedlosky and Chris Taylor: How we exposed corruption in Pa.’s corrections union
Supervising inmates is no easy task. It’s easy to feel outnumbered and vulnerable. To do our jobs as corrections officers well, we have to trust that our colleagues will be there when we need backup. Together, we’re stronger. Likewise, for years, we trusted our union to have our backs and...
Jacqueline White: Rethinking our response to youth homelessness
Consider the situation of Charles — a young Black man who showed up at HOPE 4 Youth, a drop-in center for youth facing homelessness in suburban Minneapolis. His grandmother, who he was staying with, had given him until the end of the month to find a new place. His name...
Elwood Watson: Congressman shows we still have a long way to go on race
From the Duchess of Sussex and actress Meghan Markle to former Harvard President Claudine Gay to Vice President Kamala Harris, Black women have been the target of severe attacks in recent months. The most recent example (and there have indeed been many as of late) are the distasteful comments made...
Bradley Tusk: Pa. should feed all hungry kids
In Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget address, he took credit for feeding kids in Pennsylvania. One line specifically caught my attention: “Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans care about kids, and we are coming together to feed them.” But that’s not true. There isn’t a single additional kid who will be fed in...
Peter Morici: Higher interest rates, inflation will challenge post-covid economy. AI will save it.
The post-covid economy is emerging as Americans’ pandemic-era savings dwindle, while work-from-home activity moderates and new patterns of consumer behavior come to the fore. As households and banks consolidate finances, a few quarters of U.S. GDP growth in the range of 1% should be followed by a rebound and then...
Ruth A. Johnston: Disability, not danger, is the right standard
Eleven years ago today, my mother died. You may have seen our story on the news: my son Levi stabbed her while she was eating breakfast because he believed the Archangel Michael told him that, “it’s time to kill the witch.” You may have wondered why we hadn’t gotten his...
Colin McNickle: Data lacking on benefit of PIT’s international flight subsidies
An outre, as in curious, thing has happened in conjunction with all the happy talk that Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is rebounding just fine, thank you, from the covid-19 pandemic: No data have been released to support the contention that taxpayer-subsidized international flights have boosted the local economy, says Jake...
Point: Record production means energy and economic security
America’s oil and natural gas producers are innovating to produce more oil and gas than ever while generating less emissions and bringing reliable, affordable energy to Americans and our global allies. In its latest short-term energy outlook, the Energy Information Administration estimated that U.S. crude oil production reached “an all-time...
Counterpoint: A fossil fuel export economy is wrong for America
America is producing more oil and gas than any nation at any point in history, and it’s an accomplishment that fails to give U.S. families energy security or lower prices. At the same time, U.S. exports of oil and gas have surpassed every other country on earth, enriching oil and...
Carl Golden: Should Biden follow Lyndon Johnson’s example?
Nearly 56 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson, in a nationally televised address, shocked the country with a straightforward 20-word declaration: “I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president.” Elected in a landslide — 61% to 38%, 486 electoral...
David McCall: Proposed sale of U.S. Steel puts America’s security at risk
Several hundred members of the United Steelworkers (USW) operate U.S. Steel’s Irvin Plant, producing flat-rolled sheet for the GE refrigerators, ovens and other appliances that keep American households running. USW members at other U.S. Steel locations across the country make tin for food cans, pipe for natural gas distribution systems...
Sarah Olexsak: EVs to charge ahead in 2024
The 2023 numbers are in: Plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) contributed to 9.1% of light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S., up from 6.8% in 2022. This means more than 3 million EVs were on roadways across the nation last year — with over a third of those bought in 2023 alone...
David Dzombak: Going to the moon and renewing inspiration
I have always felt highly fortunate to grow up in the 1960s with the inspiration of the intense and ultimately successful effort of my country to land a person on the moon by the end of the decade. The Gemini and Apollo programs inspired me and many others of the...
Scott Hadland and Joseph Friedman: ‘Just say no’ can kill kids. Teach them how to stay safe in the fentanyl era
Melanie Ramos was only 15 years old when she died of a suspected overdose in a high school bathroom in Hollywood. Police reported that she and a friend had purchased pills they thought were prescription painkillers but which were likely fakes containing fentanyl, a potent opioid incorporated into counterfeit pills...
Rachel Marsden: Trump’s idea of using Putin to shake down allies isn’t shocking — it’s already reality
PARIS — Former President Donald Trump just suggested that he’d use Russian President Vladimir Putin as a shakedown artist against allies in a sort of protection racket. Those criticizing the remarks, and even Trump himself, may be surprised to learn that this is already effectively happening. Speaking at a campaign...
