Featured Commentary category, Page 86
Mark Roth: Health care lessons from the military
The inescapable pain and death of war have also produced many of the medical breakthroughs that have enhanced our health in peacetime. The Civil War created advances in surgical techniques. World Wars I and II led to the development of prosthetics and the widespread use of antibiotics. And the Vietnam...
Kellie Lynch: Heard/Depp trial opportunity to discuss intimate partner violence
Strip away the celebrity intrigue and media frenzy, and the high-profile court battle between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard involves issues painfully familiar to many women and men across America. The civil defamation case, which is due to conclude May 27, centered around discussion of intimate partner violence. IPV...
Stephanie Catarino Wissman: Natural gas fundamental to bringing manufacturing back to Pa.
Not long ago, the U.S. was reliant on unstable regimes for natural gas and oil. Now, the U.S. is the largest producer of natural gas and oil in the world thanks in large part to the shale revolution and expansion of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. This homegrown energy now...
William Haupt III: Independents are seldom independent by choice
“Perhaps instead of voter ID laws, the USA might want to try voter IQ laws.” — Angela Hatfield While American politics continues to play out like a roller derby grudge match between Democrats and Republicans, off camera more and more voters are choosing not to affiliate with either party as...
Viewpoint 2: Cronyism makes baby formula shortage worse
Bad policy makes people vulnerable, and the current baby formula shortage is just the latest example. The immediate cause of the shortage was contamination in a Michigan factory, which might not resume production until June. But the underlying cause is a slew of bad policies that make the market less...
Viewpoint 1: The infant formula crisis and our inequitable food system
No child should ever go hungry in the richest nation in the world. And yet, in recent days, panicked parents and caretakers who rely on infant formula for their loved ones’ health and nutritional needs are contending with the skyrocketing prices of baby formula and a severe shortage in grocery...
Peter Morici: Biden needs some Republicans for his foreign policy team
Since World War II, U.S. foreign policy has promoted human rights and democracy by maintaining a superior military, offering security commitments to friends in Europe and Asia, and promoting free trade and investment among Western and nonaligned nations. Through the World Trade Organization and regional agreements, the latter policy encouraged...
Darwyyn Deyo and Conor Norris: Pa. should make covid-19 licensing waivers permanent
In response to the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf enacted numerous waivers for unnecessary regulations to ensure Pennsylvanians had access to health care. These were extended several times, but they are once again set to expire. Sadly, many Pennsylvanians lacked access to health care...
Michael Torres: The second coming of Trump in Pa.?
Despite facing rivals who outspent him by well over $20 million and a whirlwind of negative media, state Sen. Doug Mastriano has won the Republican nomination for governor in Pennsylvania. His ascension can be largely credited to an undercurrent of grassroots supporters who act and vote as though they’ve found...
Viewpoint 3: To avoid the next infant formula crisis, make food safety a priority
The Food and Drug Administration has reached an agreement with Abbott Laboratories to resume production at the company’s Sturgis, Mich., facility. The announcement gives hope of relief for the three-fourths of American parents who rely on infant formula and have struggled to find the product in recent weeks. But the...
Jonah Goldberg: Trump’s goal is to solidify control over the GOP, not help it win elections
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said something interesting while campaigning for Dave McCormick, still in the running for the GOP nomination to replace departing Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. “Just once, I’d love to see a Republican candidate stand up in a primary and say: ‘I am a moderate, establishment...
Dave Murray: What would I give up for a climate emergency?
Many in my party (Democrat) are calling on President Biden to declare a climate emergency. In an emergency, he can dictate new rules and regulations to control our lives and impact our pocketbooks. If this is a serious emergency, then there are things in our lives we should consider doing...
Peter Morici: Revving up worker training vital to more robust economy
The U.S. economy has staged a remarkable recovery from covid shutdowns but needs better job training for front-line workers to accomplish robust growth. The economy is still firing below potential because despite the abundance of job openings, several million adults who quit the labor force during the pandemic have not...
Counterpoint: Left’s reaction to potential Roe overruling shows authoritarian druthers
It has been just two weeks since Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked to Politico. However, the left is already in absolute meltdown mode, claiming the potential ruling could usher in a return to the Dark Ages, in which...
Point: Overturning Roe will lead to a human rights crisis for all Americans
If the Supreme Court follows through on its draft majority opinion that overturns Roe v. Wade, it will open the floodgates to extremist new laws and court rulings that could cost all Americans the right to make intimate decisions about their own lives — from the medications they take to...
Cal Thomas: Whipping inflation — then and now
In 1974, when the inflation rate was 11.04%, President Gerald Ford came up with a slogan: “Whip Inflation Now.” WIN buttons were manufactured by the millions and people were asked to wear them to demonstrate grassroots solidarity to combat the economic scourge. The campaign was later described by Martin Crutsinger...
Bill Johnston Walsh: Educating older Pennsylvanians before Election Day
Since the 2020 election, Pennsylvania voters have been on a roller-coaster ride, often receiving conflicting information from voices in both Harrisburg and Washington. Do I have to show ID to vote? Can I still vote by mail? Will there be voter drop boxes in my community? If I am disabled,...
Hilary Mercer and Kevin Walker: In Southwestern Pa., the way to a new energy reality
Climate change demands that the world, including our region, transition its energy profile to a low-carbon one. Southwestern Pennsylvania has been and remains a manufacturing and technology hub with vast above- and below-ground energy resources. Together, these comprise a portfolio of sources that can meet all our region’s energy needs,...
Sara and Jonathan Mayo: Defending democracy
A serious threat to democracy is emerging as the 2022 election cycle draws near. Those posing the threat, of course, masquerade as protectors of our values. We’re seeing it here in Pittsburgh in the primary to elect a new member of Congress. As Jewish voters in this district, we are...
Robert Gregerson: Continuing the Pitt-Pennsylvania partnership
At the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus, community is important to us. In fact, it’s what drives us. As a community member for nearly 60 years, we have a long history of educating local students in a supportive environment, helping them gain the tools and opportunities necessary to stay here...
Lloyd Corder: Economists agree $15-an-hour would harm America’s economy
From worker shortages to historic inflation, Americans are concerned about the economy. While there are many disputes about what the right solution should be, economists agree about one thing: A $15 federal wage is not the answer. In fact, it could make matters worse. To get a better understanding of...
Rebecca Sohn: Honoring the bereaved mothers
Today we again celebrate and honor those who are mothers — an official holiday in the United States since 1914. Celebrations of motherhood are not new. They have existed in many iterations dating back to the Greeks and Romans and now take place throughout the world. However, what has and...
Rob Richie: A better presidential primary for 2024
No election in the United States is as important as our elections for president. Yet if the last two cycles have told us anything, it’s that how we nominate presidents is broken and deeply unrepresentative — a process as much about dumb luck as it is about candidate quality or...
Michael Torres: Pa.’s constitutional conundrum
Pennsylvania is experiencing a constitutional conundrum. State legislators, primarily Republicans, have proposed nearly 80 constitutional amendments in the last year, many on politically contentious issues ranging from abortion to voter identification. The allure of these amendments, which don’t need the governor’s signature, among Republicans is instigating growing distress among elected...
Peter Morici: The coming crisis in judicial appointments
The country is headed for a train wreck on judicial appointments. President Trump appointed 228 federal district and appellate judges and three Supreme Court justices, and with the help of the Federalist Society, pushed the judiciary harder to the right. Now, President Biden is taking the courts in the opposite...
