Featured Commentary category, Page 93
Molly Parzen: Biden’s EV plan driving strong economic future in Pittsburgh and beyond
Pittsburgh is world-famous for its manufacturing heritage and its beautiful natural scenery. As our region and all of Pennsylvania moves into the future, we must make sure we protect both. We can strengthen the middle class through the 717,000 union members in Pennsylvania, create more jobs by making use of...
Tami Seretti: My copay assistance no longer counts — yours may be next
In 1996 I was diagnosed with psoriasis, a chronic, immune-mediated disease that impacts more than 3% of the U.S. adult population. Early on in my journey, raised plaques and scales covered 85% of my body, and treatment options were limited. I later learned that I am also one of the...
Falco Muscante II: What do Fern Hollow Bridge and U.S. Steel Tower have in common?
On Feb. 7, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on the Jan. 28 collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge. The report on the failure of the not-even-50-year-old bridge spanning Frick Park was unsurprising — but for one particular footnote. The NTSB described the bridge as “an...
Stephen Bloom: Reforms would reduce corruption and restore workers’ rights
In Harrisburg, lawmakers are building momentum for a series of reforms that will empower public sector workers and defend taxpayers. The House Labor and Industry Committee approved four bills last month that public school teacher Cheri Gensel says will provide “greater accountability” for government union executives, ensuring they “focus on...
Dan Rodricks: A ‘special place in Hell’ for the perpetrators of elder fraud
I seldom use the expression “a special place in Hell” because it has been suggested as the ultimate destination for too many people by now, from serial killers to women who voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. Invoked too often, it loses its punch. Still, it’s a tempting phrase...
Emily Jane O’Dell: Bearing witness in Tibet
My isolated summer cabin in the Himalayas of Tibet was raided this summer, when occupying Chinese Communist Party police stormed every hotel on the Tibetan plateau to force foreigners against their will into ambulances and clear them from the region. I knew instantly they were doing this to tighten their...
Rabbi Sara Perman: Learn, speak out against antisemitism
On Jan. 15, we were shocked to learn that once again a house of worship, the synagogue Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, was attacked during the Sabbath service. A man held the rabbi and three members hostage for over 10 hours. This was unquestionably an act of antisemitism. As...
Paul Loeb: Moderate Republicans could save voting rights by following Bob Dole’s lead
Sen. Joe Manchin’s Freedom to Vote Act, a compromise bill addressing voting rights, has been deemed dead in the wake of Manchin and fellow Democrat Kyrsten Sinema’s refusal to support a filibuster exception. But it still could be saved if one or two self-described moderate Republicans stepped up. They’d follow...
Sheldon Jacobson: Nilan firing at TSN places vaccine misinformation on full display
A radio personality refuses to be vaccinated and ends up losing his job. This is something that may occur in some parts of the U.S. But in Canada, where getting fired for anything is exceedingly more difficult? This occurred last week with TSN radio commentator Chris Nilan, a former NHL...
Cal Thomas: The real cause behind the rise in crime
While President Biden and local officials keep talking about causes for the rise in crime in our major cities, proposing “solutions” that have failed in the past, like former President Bill Clinton’s Midnight Basketball idea, the real reason for its escalation is deeper than what we see on the surface....
Reps. Bryan Cutler, Kerry Benninghoff and Stan Saylor: Helping Pennsylvanians means putting taxpayers first
Next week, Gov. Tom Wolf will deliver his eighth and final budget address, and already it is clear that Pennsylvanians will again have offered to them higher taxes, higher energy costs and more irresponsible spending ideas that will set the commonwealth up for a disastrous financial future. As a result,...
Cal Thomas: Trump-Pence deal with the devil
Former President Donald Trump has further — if that’s possible — undistinguished himself by again attacking his vice president, Mike Pence. In another of his ongoing email messages to supporters (which are usually accompanied by a donate button), Trump says he wanted Pence to overturn the results of the last...
Howard Manuel: Support newly settled Afghans
There is no easy way to relive it; the American spirit was tested throughout our time in Afghanistan. We can have many a long discussion about what and when, or about our withdrawal strategy in 2021. But in this new year, our efforts are best exerted looking at the lingering...
Kevin Vallier: Why we can’t split the difference on culture
The United States is an outlier among established democracies in two respects: We face both falling social trust and rising polarization. I have argued that the two dynamics connect in a doom loop. Trust in others and institutions falls, leading to greater polarization, which drives trust down even more. That...
Colleen Hroncich: Education choice can prevent fights over covid policies
“One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to education.” This is a phrase that education-choice advocates have voiced for years to explain why families need options. But it’s never been truer than today while dealing with covid-19. Before Christmas break, many Pennsylvania school districts had considered moving to remote...
Cal Thomas: Crime and a widow’s eloquence
Trust in government has been declining since the administration of President Lyndon Johnson. According to Pew Research, only 36% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents and 9% of Republicans and those leaning Republican now trust government. Who can blame them given the failure of government to perform on many levels? One...
Reps. Joanna McClinton, Matt Bradford and Jordan Harris: Coming together for a brighter future for Pa.
It’s an unprecedented budget year for Pennsylvania, and for once the news is positive. Separate of the nearly $3 billion in unspent federal stimulus dollars left over from last fiscal year, state revenues are now coming in $1.5 billion over estimate (and climbing). This budget snapshot shows us that when...
Robert Smith: Frick Park’s glamour shot
We have all seen the celebrity glamour shots at awards shows. The well-designed backdrop, adoring peer group crowd, high-end clothing and jewelry, and sudden strike-the-pose camera snapshots. We also regularly see the politician glamour shot. The biggie-sized check, adoring crowd typically full of political cronies, poser snapshots or filmed snippets...
Bernie O’Neill and Eugene DePasquale: Legislative action on charter reform is long overdue
Our roles as former elected officials from both of the major political parties have given us unique perspectives into not only Pennsylvania’s political process, but also its public education system, particularly charter schools. Charter schools in the state have grown tremendously in the 24-plus years in which they have existed....
Rebecca Saltzman: Covid does harm children, in the short and long term
Our lives changed with a headache. I checked my 10-year-old son Gus’ forehead and found it burning. It was the week before Halloween 2021, and the FDA had not yet approved vaccines for children his age. We had been living with the pandemic for a year and a half by...
Vidhur Senthil: Teaching students to care for environment is critical
This year, about 50 million students will attend primary and secondary school in the United States. Every morning, as I and millions of others struggle to get out of bed, asking ourselves whether it’s really necessary to wake up this early, it’s evident that we have no other choice. School...
Peter Morici: Republicans need an economic agenda for the midterm elections
Wokeism and progressive overreach helped propel conservative values in the 2021 elections, but cultural issues won’t grip as reliably for Republicans in the midterms. Virginia exit polls indicated the economy was still the most important issue, but state and municipal politicians can do little more than steal jobs from other...
Rep. Greg Vitali: Pa. budget should fully fund environmental protection
Gov. Tom Wolf’s address to Pennsylvania’s General assembly on Feb. 8 will mark the official opening of negotiations on the commonwealth’s 2022-23 fiscal year budget. Regrettably, this annual budget has shortchanged the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for many years. With a rosy revenue picture for the upcoming fiscal year,...
Rep. Emily Kinkead: As governor, Shapiro will protect our democracy
Attacks on our democracy are only getting worse, and our next governor must be committed to defending our democracy and protecting our right to vote. On Jan. 5, 2021, I was sworn into my first term in office. It was an awe-inspiring day that I was able to share with...
John Sparks: Supreme Court renders mixed decisions on vaccine mandates
The U. S. Supreme Court has rejected President Joe Biden’s OSHA vaccination overreach for private sector employees, but has upheld the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate for healthcare workers. The decisions are important for their immediate effects. The OSHA-related opinion, NFIB v. Department of Labor, bars the president, through...
