Featured Commentary category, Page 87
Cal Thomas: The end of Roe, and what it could mean
Chief Justice John Roberts has confirmed the accuracy of a leaked document that revealed an initial majority vote to overturn Roe vs, Wade. In that memo, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the 1973 case overturning restrictive state abortion laws was “egregiously wrong from the start.” So where do the 64...
Kristie Weiland Stagno: Building back for justice requires expanded Child Tax Credit
Who is most likely to be poor in America? Children. Their pre-pandemic poverty rate of 1 in 7 exceeds that of most developed nations. During the 2022 tax season that ended last month, many low-income families rejoiced over their refunds, but the celebration was bittersweet. A key tax break to...
Gordon Tomb: Disconnected politicians lose those who ‘vote their jobs’
After a protracted battle with lawmakers, Gov. Tom Wolf’s unilateral push to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) now moves forward. At risk are tens of thousands of jobs, including private union jobs held by people that contributed to his reelection in 2018. It’s a strange reality amid the...
Sheldon Jacobson: The dark side of gerrymandering
Most states have already finalized their new congressional maps, with candidates jockeying to gain their party’s nomination, and hopefully win a seat in the 118th Congress during the upcoming November midterm election. Ohio is bucking this trend, with the first Republican supported map invalidated by the state’s Supreme Court back...
Alexander Motyl: U.S. never considered Ukraine a vital interest, until Putin’s ambitions changed that
President Joe Biden and NATO allies in Europe are trying to help Ukraine fight off Russian aggression — but not so much that Russia will retaliate militarily against them. These leaders’ deliberations and calibrations are all taking place against a fundamental background question: Is Ukraine a vital interest to my...
Anthony Hennen: Pa. county demolition funds for blighted properties — a rural and urban divide
Blighted properties are a problem in every county across Pennsylvania, and a proposed bill would make permanent a new fee counties can impose to raise funds for demolition. Senate Bill 439, sponsored by Sen. David Argall, R-Berks/Schuylkill, would remove a 10-year sunset provision from Act 152 of 2016 that authorizes...
Mathias Bernard: Macron’s victory has deep challenges
Emmanuel Macron’s decisive victory over Marine Le Pen in the second round of France’s presidential election April 24 is no surprise. For more than a year, opinion polls had been predicting it. As early as April 2021, the leading polling institutes estimated the final score of the outgoing president in...
Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan: Pa. just took major step to address maternal mortality crisis
Uncertainty. Anticipation. Fear. These are just a few of the emotions that run through the minds of almost every expecting parent. And for many expecting Black parents, those feelings can be more acute. That’s because for far too many, having a child can be a life-threatening event. Across our country,...
Anjana Susarla: Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter could make its misinformation problems worse
Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, acquired Twitter in a $44 billion deal April 25, 11 days after announcing his bid for the company. Twitter announced that the public company will become privately held after the acquisition is complete. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for his...
Cal Thomas: Ignorance and apathy
There’s an old joke about a fictitious poll taker who asked people what they thought about ignorance and apathy when it comes to politics and elections. One respondent said, “I don’t know, and I don’t care.” I thought of that joke after seeing a recent YouGov poll. It shows a...
Stephen Mills: Don’t tell us it’s too late to get justice
Take it from me, the aftershocks of child sexual abuse last a lifetime. I’m 66, and the sexual violence I experienced at age 13 — a near-death experience, really — can still grip my body and mind when I least expect it. I thought I’d be released when my abuser...
Kyle Sammin: Pa. governor race GOP’s race to lose — but they can lose it
As Democrats raise money and work together to support prospective gubernatorial nominee Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the GOP remains at war with itself. Competition is the point of a primary: letting voters choose the best standard-bearer for November. This year, however, Republicans suffer from an excess of choice. Nine candidates...
David Hardy: Pa.’s students need a lifeline
The Pennsylvania House has been abuzz with anticipation of a vote on the Lifeline Scholarship Program, or House Bill 2169 (Reps. Clint Owlett and Martina White). Lifeline Scholarships would help children stuck in the lowest-performing schools in our commonwealth. HB 2169 empowers parents with restricted-use scholarship funding for a school...
Mario Oliverio: What are you running for?
My first thought just as the starter signal sounded last year for the Ohio River Trail Council 10K was not “I hope I set a personal record” or “I’m so glad to be raising money for a good cause” (sorry, ORTC), but rather — “Wait a second, am I really...
Tay Waltenbaugh: All of us must step up for the most vulnerable
Mental health challenges have always been with us, but the covid-19 pandemic has pushed Pennsylvanians, and our state’s mental health safety net, to the breaking point. Without meaningful and sustained support from our state lawmakers, many of our most vulnerable residents will confront unacceptable consequences. As the Tribune-Review’s reporting has...
Peter Morici: Let states decide whether to adopt daylight saving time
Americans are tired of losing sleep. On the second Sunday in March, Americans push their clocks forward, and the disruption to sleep patterns creates fatigue and a lot of irritable personalities. Church attendance is unusually sparse. Some folks miss the exercise altogether or show up late, just in time for...
LZ Granderson: Big Pharma won’t be happy about marijuana cutting into its profits
Before I start talking about pot and why the federal prohibition should end, here are some numbers for you to consider. Seventy-two U.S. senators accepted donations from the pharmaceutical industry ahead of the 2020 election. That number was 302 for the House. Combined, that’s more than two-thirds of Congress. If...
Point: The legislative filibuster is destroying Congress
Close your eyes and let your imagination transport you back to the ninth grade. Do you remember a teacher standing at the front of a classroom explaining the three branches of government? Division of power? Checks and balances? Me, too! But I’m increasingly concerned that many of our elected officials...
Counterpoint: The filibuster is not the problem
President Biden’s agenda has stalled on Capitol Hill, where Democrats have been unable to overcome Republican opposition in the Senate to pass bills such as the Build Back Better Act and voting rights reform. Democrats are increasingly concerned that failure to pass more of their legislative agenda before November’s midterm...
Nathan Benefield: Stagnant Pa. economy requires real business-tax reform
In his final annual budget address, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a major reduction in the state’s corporate income tax. Wolf’s tax-cut plan may come as a surprise to some, considering his liberal bona fides, and has been lauded by business groups desperate for relief from the second-highest business tax...
Tom Hogan: Cities must respond to dirt-bike crisis
In recent years, big cities have been plagued by roving packs of young men on dirt bikes and ATVs who ignore traffic laws and terrorize the streets. Residents are asking how to fix this problem — but they are asking the wrong question. They need to ask, rather, if controlling...
Bruce Cooper and Harry Hochheiser: For Earth Day, put a price on carbon
Last year, during his Earth Day Summit, President Joe Biden said, “The United States sets out on the road to cut greenhouse gasses in half by the end of this decade. That’s where we’re headed as a nation, and that’s what we can do, if we take action to build...
David Callahan, Robert Brundrett and Charlie Burd: Celebrating Appalachia’s green transformation
Our fellow Americans may not consider the so-called “Rust Belt” to be the epicenter of our nation’s green economy. But the discovery of our region’s abundant and clean natural gas resources over the last 15 years has transformed Appalachia into a technology hub and innovation-driven economy at the forefront of...
Ashley Priore: Pitt chancellor Gallagher leaves lasting impression
Every weekday morning around 7 a.m., as I waited for my bus to get to school, I would see a man on a walk down Fifth Avenue heading toward the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland. We shared our daily hellos (and maybe a joke or two about the weather). I...
Greg Fulton: Anthony Bourdain, another casualty of depression
With CNN airing its new “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” this month, the public’s fascination with the late chef, writer and travel storyteller, who died in 2018, continues. Part of the interest may be due to Bourdain committing suicide and the difficulty for many to understand why someone at...
